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 Related Knowledge (47)
 5 SUB-TOPICS:
 Funding for MPAs Funding for MPAs
 Marine Protected Areas in the Pacific Islands Marine Protected Areas in the Pacific Islands
 NOS/NOAA's Role in Protected Areas NOS/NOAA's Role in Protected Areas
 Protection targets Protection targets
 Types of MPA Types of MPA
 Topic Overview
 ID# : 2636
 Visits: 9971
 Added: 01-Jan-2000
 Updated: 15-Dec-2010
  E-Mail Topic link
 Editors
 UNEP - WCMC
 Jacob Nganyi
 UNEP - GPA
 Heidi Savelli
 
 
 
 
Protected Areas Maintained by UNEP  
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The definition of a protected area, as adopted by IUCN, 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. Although all protected areas meet the general purposes contained in this definition, in practice the precise purposes for which protected areas are managed differ greatly.
 
The benefits of establishing marine protected areas (MPAs) are well known, particularly for coral reefs. A reduction in fishing pressure, ideally through the complete closure of selected areas to all types of fishing, typically maintains more numerous and diverse populations of previously targeted species, leads to the reappearance of species absent from fishing grounds and substantially increases the biomass of large predatory species. There can also be positive effects on coral reef habitat with increased coral cover and structural complexity.
 
The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) is a global database of protected areas maintained as a collaboration the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) and the UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre. This is the only comprehensive global list of protected areas, and contains links to descriptive data describing important sites ('site sheets'), and GIS-data showing the distribution of sites, including mapped boundaries for a large number of locations. Information of more than 4000 MPAs is included in the World Database on Protected Areas, and site sheets have been completed for approximately 20% of these.
 
 
 
 
All   (47) News   (19) Events   (2) Websites   (11) Documents   (12) Books   (2) Contacts   (1)
  11 Websites 
  
México y los Estados Unidos cooperan en la conservación en el Golfo de California Conservación en el Mar México y los Estados Unidos cooperan en la conservación en el Golfo de Californ...  
Mexican-United States coalition for conservation in the Gulf of California Conservation at Sea Mexican-United States coalition for conservation in the Gulf of California...  
a database of the world´s marine protected Areas Database on Marine Protected Areas a database of the world´s marine protected Areas 
The country profiles present environmental information about key variables for each topic area. View the charts and graphs to find the vital statistics you need for over 220 countries. Earthtrends - countryprofiles The country profiles present environmental information about key variables for ...  
The long term goal is to represent each of Canada's 29 marine regions EXPANDING CANADA'S SYSTEM OF NATIONAL MARINE CONSERVATION AREAS The long term goal is to represent each of Canada's 29 marine regions 
Marine protected areas as a fisheries management tool FAO MPA Website Marine protected areas as a fisheries management tool 
Details on the data being collected from federal, state, commonwealth, territory, tribal, and local sites as part of the marine managed areas (MMA) NOAA Protected Areas Inventory of Sites Details on the data being collected from federal, state, commonwealth, territor...  
Program manages and protects specially designated areas of the nation's oceans and Great Lakes NOAA U.S. National Marine Sanctuaries Program Program manages and protects specially designated areas of the nation's oceans ...  
Designed to help increase effective conservation action in the Pacific Islands, the Inventory of Regional Conservation Activities is a living record of conservation activities of key actors in this region The Pacific Islands Roundtable for nature conservation Designed to help increase effective conservation action in the Pacific Islands,...  
An inventory of existing U.S. marine managed areas United States Marine Protected Area (MPA) Inventory An inventory of existing U.S. marine managed areas 
World Database of Protected Areas World Database of Protected Areas World Database of Protected Areas 
979 Topics - 5229 Related Knowledge - 11257 Members - 47 Editors
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