The content and information below is designed to support the launch of an independent assessment of commitments made at all to-date Our Ocean Conferences (OOCs), specifically those commitments related to MPAs and other area-based conservation measures. It also provides useful materials on The MPA Guide, which is a free, globally accessible tool that offers a clear, science-based framework to categorize and track MPAs, and a consistent approach to predict their likely impact.
Our Ocean – Achieving Protection by Committing to Accountability
Accountability: Promises made at OOCs must be followed by action. Our rigorous independent audits reveal that seventy-two percent of the MPA commitments to date have been completed. Almost all of the rest show evidence of progress.
Protection: OOCs make an outsized contribution to global MPA coverage which can support the wellbeing of billions of people. OOC announcements have led to 47% of the implemented MPA area in the world today, covering 9.7million km2 or 2.7% of the global ocean. If these remaining OOC commitments are fulfilled, along with other promised MPAs worldwide, the total area of the ocean protected would be 9.3%. One-third would be fully and highly protected.
The OOC is a prime venue for committing to real progress. Commitments made at OOCs help to achieve the recently agreed “30x30” Global Biodiversity Framework target of protecting at least 30% of the ocean by 2030. Accomplishing this requires not only implementing all remaining commitments not yet completed, but also increasing the pace of protection with attention to equity and effectiveness.
Authors Twitter Handle
Dr. Jenna Sullivan-Stack: @_jsullivanstack
Dr. KirstenGrorudColvert: @Kirsten_GC
Jason Seiple @Seiple_Jason
Oregon State University - @OregonState
About 'The MPA Guide'
'‘The MPA Guide: A Framework to Achieve Global Goals for the Ocean’ is a groundbreaking scientific peer-reviewed synthesis published in the journal Science.
The MPA Guide is informed by decades of social and ecological research, and it includes a policy-relevant, broadly useful framework for categorizing MPAs and linking their outcomes for nature and people.
The MPA Guide was developed by an international team of researchers and experts from a wide range of disciplines and affiliations. It aims to connect MPA science to management and policy action.
The MPA Guide is facilitated by the founding partners: IUCN, UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre, the World Database on Protected Areas and Protected Planet, National Geographic Society Pristine Seas, Marine Conservation Institute’s Marine Protection Atlas, and The MPA Project at Oregon State University.
For more information, including practical guidance and explanatory videos, see The MPA Guide website at http://mpa-guide.protectedplanet.net.
Please visit Marine Conservation Institute’s Marine Protection Atlas to explore MPAs around the world that have been assessed according to The MPA Guide using Stage of Establishment and Level of Protection.
Translations of this are available in: French | Spanish | Portuguese