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Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their environmental, cultural or similar value. The term protected area includes marine protected area
Marine Protected Area

Marine Protected Area is a protected area whose boundaries include some area of ocean. MPA is often used as an umbrella term covering a wide range of marine areas with some level of restriction to protect living, non-living, cultural, and/or historic resources....
, which refers to protected areas whose boundaries include some area of ocean. A large number of kinds of protected area exist which vary by level of protection and by the enabling laws of each country or rules of international organization.






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Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their environmental, cultural or similar value. The term protected area includes marine protected area
Marine Protected Area

Marine Protected Area is a protected area whose boundaries include some area of ocean. MPA is often used as an umbrella term covering a wide range of marine areas with some level of restriction to protect living, non-living, cultural, and/or historic resources....
, which refers to protected areas whose boundaries include some area of ocean. A large number of kinds of protected area exist which vary by level of protection and by the enabling laws of each country or rules of international organization. Examples include parks, reserves and wildlife sanctuaries. There are over 108,000 protected areas in the world with more added daily, representing a total area of 30.43 million km2 (11.75 million square miles), or over 12 percent of the worlds land surface area (greater than the entire land mass of Africa). By contrast, as of 2 February 2009, only 0.8 of one percent of the world's oceans are included in the world's ~5000 marine protected area
Marine Protected Area

Marine Protected Area is a protected area whose boundaries include some area of ocean. MPA is often used as an umbrella term covering a wide range of marine areas with some level of restriction to protect living, non-living, cultural, and/or historic resources....
s.

Definition


A protected area, as defined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN, formerly the World Conservation Union), is:
"An area of land and/or sea especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity, and of natural and associated cultural resources, and managed through legal or other effective means.


Types


The IUCN specifies six categories of protected areas:
  • I. Strict nature reserve
    Nature reserve

    A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora , fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for Conservation ethic and to provide special opportunities for study or research....
    /wilderness area: protected area managed mainly for science or wilderness protection
  • II. National park
    National park

    A national park is a reserve of land, usually declared and owned by a national government, protected from most human development and pollution....
    : protected area managed mainly for ecosystem protection and recreation
  • III. Natural Monument
    Natural Monument

    A Natural Monument is a natural/cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities or cultural significance....
    : protected area managed mainly for conservation of specific natural features
  • IV. Habitat/Species Management Area: protected area managed mainly for conservation through management intervention
  • V. Protected Landscape/Seascape: protected area managed mainly for landscape/seascape protection and recreation.
  • VI. Managed Resource Protected Area: protected area managed mainly for the sustainable use of natural ecosystems.


History


International commitments to the development of networks of protected areas date from 1972, when the Stockholm Declaration from the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment endorsed the protection of representative examples of all major ecosystem types as a fundamental requirement of national conservation programs. Since then, the protection of representative ecosystems has become a core principle of conservation biology, supported by key United Nations resolutions - including the World Charter for Nature 1982, the Rio Declaration 1992, and the Johannesburg Declaration 2002.

Globally, national programs for the protection of representative ecosystems have progressed with respect to terrestrial environments, with less progress in marine and freshwater biomes.

See also

  • Applied ecology
    Applied ecology

    Applied ecology is a subfield within ecology which considers the applied science of the science of ecology to real-world questions. It is also called ecological or environmental technology....
    Category:Protected areas by country
  • Community Conservation Areas
    Community Conservation Areas

    Community Conservation Areas is a type of protected area in which native peoples initiate the creation and/or are part owners and managers. CCA's are found around the world....
  • Indigenous Protected Areas
    Indigenous Protected Areas

    Indigenous Protected Areas are a class of protected area formed by agreement with Indigenous Australians, declared by Indigenous Australians, and formally recognised by the Government of Australia as being part of its Australia's National Reserve System....
  • World Commission on Protected Areas
    World Commission on Protected Areas

    The World Commission on Protected Areas is one of six Commissions of the IUCN ....
  • Marine Protected Area
    Marine Protected Area

    Marine Protected Area is a protected area whose boundaries include some area of ocean. MPA is often used as an umbrella term covering a wide range of marine areas with some level of restriction to protect living, non-living, cultural, and/or historic resources....
    s


External links

  • : The only place on the web dedicated to bringing all aspects of Marine Protected Areas to your desktop