New road map for establishing marine protected area networks
11 April 2007, Washington, USA. Connecting marine reserves to large networks will make marine species and ecosystems more resistant to threats such as climate change, overfishing or pollution. Today, a new roadmap for establishing marine protected area networks is being released at the IUCN Marine Protected Area Summit in Washington, DC.
The publication “Establishing Networks of Marine Protected Areas – Making It Happen” is published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in collaboration with the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the World Wildlife Fund – Australia, and The Nature Conservancy.
Inspired by discussions from a several international forums, the publication captures current international best practices in developing MPA networks. The World Summit on Sustainable Development, the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the G8 Group of Nations have called for establishing a global system of MPA networks by the year 2012.
European marine protected area workshop next week
The German EU Presidency and IUCN will take up the issue of marine protected areas from a European perspective during an expert workshop in Berlin next week. From 18-20 April, around 100 decision makers and scientists will gather at the “Countdown 2010 for Marine Ecosystems” expert workshop to discuss the role of the EU in the international debate on marine conservation.
Topics to be covered include the establishment of the marine Natura 2000 network in the EU, challenges and opportunities to meet the 2010 and 2012 targets globally, and possible options towards an implementing agreement for protection of high seas biodiversity.
