Protected Areas

Though the oceans account for 70% of Earth's surface, less than 1% of the marine environment is within protected areas, compared with nearly 9% of land. Moreover, over half of the global population resides within 60 km of the shoreline, placing increasing stresses on coastal and marine resources and the areas upon which they depend. The need for protection of additional marine areas and improved management of existing ones has never been greater.

A marine protected area is an area of sea especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biodiversity, protection of endangered/threatened species, and can serve as a recruitment pool for other areas e.g. where there is intensive fishing. The UNEP-WCMC Protected Areas Database includes over 4000 coastal or marine protected areas. A simple habitat classification scheme is used to classify them. Many of the sites also have detailed information sheets on physical and biological features as well as legal protection, management systems and threats.

Protected areas related to marine and coastal areas can be found as a result of other major global initiatives under which States can declare: Ramsar sites (Ramsar convention), World Heritage sites (the World Heritage convention), and Biosphere Reserves (UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme).