National Marine
Conservation Areas
NEW TOOL FOR PROTECTING
MARINE BIODIVERSITY
Tomas Tomascik
Western Canada Service Centre
WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY?
• Genetic diversity: Genetic variation that occurs among
members of the same species;
• Species (taxonomic) diversity: The variety of species
and other taxonomic groups;
• Ecological diversity: The variety of types of biological
organizations (e.g., communities, habitats, ecosystems);
• Functional diversity: variety of biological processes
or functions and characteristics of a particular
ecosystem.
DEFORESTATION
RESOURCE OVER-EXPLOITATION
Before
After
WORLD’S
Underexploited
9%
MARINE
Biomass
Moderately
exploited
23%
FISHERIES
Fully to heavily
exploited
44%
Over-exploited
16%
Depleted
6%
Recovering
3%
Fishing Mortality
Wallace 1999
Landings (t)
500
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
50
100
0
1978
1980
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
Landings (t)
500
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
1969
1971
1973
1975
1977
1979
1981
1983
1985
1987
1989
BRITISH COLUMBIA
1982
Wallace 1999
CUMMULATIVE IMPACTS
Pacific Rim
National Park Reserve
GLOBAL PHENOMENA
Hurricane
Mitch;
Oct. 1998
Jan. 98
Jul. 98
NASA
Indonesian
forest fires;
September
1997
El Niño
La Niña
NASA
April 1991
April 1997
August 1991
August 1997
October 1991
October 1997
SEA SURFACE
TEMPERATURES
Seasonal
Spatial Scale
(months)
TOXIC ALGAL BLOOMS
Gymnodinium breve
Nuctiluca
Gonyaulax spinifera and
Prorocentrum micans
MARINE PROTECTED AREAS
Definition:
Neil McDaniel
“Any area of intertidal or
subtidal terrain, together with its
overlying water and associated
flora, fauna, historical and
cultural features, which has been
reserved by law or other effective
means to protect part or all of the
enclosed environment.” (IUCN)
EXTENT OF PROTECTED AREAS
<0.5%
1/10,000
CANADA’s NETWORK OF MARINE
PROTECTED AREAS
Environment Canada
• National Wildlife & Marine Areas
• Migratory Bird Sanctuaries
Parks Canada
Fisheries and Oceans
• Marine Protected Areas
• National Parks
• National Marine Conservation Areas
National Wildlife & Marine Areas Migratory
Bird Sanctuaries
Main objectives:
•
Parks Canada
Conservation and protection of:
– wildlife and migratory birds
– species and habitats
– endangered species and their
habitats
Parks Canada
- productive and unique areas
- biodiversity
•
•
Primarily relate to marine birds
Research
DFO’s: MARINE PROTECTED AREAS
Conservation and protection of:
• Commercial and non-commercial fishery
resources, including marine mammals and
their habitats;
• Endangered or threatened marine species and
their habitats;
• Unique habitats;
• Areas of high biodiversity;
• Marine resources or habitats as is necessary to
fulfil the mandate of the Minister of Fisheries and
Oceans;
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• Areas of high biological productivity;
PROVINCIAL MARINE PROTECTED
AREAS
Ecological reserve
- 15
Provincial parks
- 81
Wildlife management areas
-4
Wildlife reserves
- 15
“Protected areas”
-1
PARKS CANADA’S FAMILY OF PROTECTED
HERITAGE AREAS
• National Parks
• National Historic Sites
• Historic Canals
• Canadian Heritage
Rivers
• National Marine
Conservation Areas
CANADA’S MARINE REGIONS
Parks Canada is mandated to establish a system of National Marine
Conservation Areas that are representative of the Atlantic, Arctic and
Pacific Oceans, and the Great Lakes, and are of sufficient extent and such
configuration as to maintain
healthy marine ecosystems.
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Natural Marine Regions of British Columbia
National Marine Conservation Areas
ESTABLISHMENT PROCEDURES:
1) Identify Representative Marine Areas;
Representativeness based on:
- geological features;
- oceanographic features;
- ecological features;
- prehistory and history;
- natural state;
2) Selecting Potential NMCA;
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Factors considered:
- exceptional natural & cultural features;
- minimizing conflict with existing uses;
- implication of aboriginal claims &
titles;
National Marine Conservation Areas
ESTABLISHMENT PROCEDURES:
3) Feasibility Study:
- Factors studied earlier are examined in
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Neil McDaniel
greater detail;
- Consultations with other government
agencies;
- Consultations with First Nations;
- Consultations with stakeholders & public;
- Possible alternatives considered;
- Mineral & Energy resource assessment
undertaken if under federal jurisdiction;
- Possible boundaries drawn;
- Discussions with DFO on fisheries
management issues;
- If support, proceed to negotiations.
National Marine Conservation Areas
ESTABLISHMENT PROCEDURES:
4) Negotiating NMCA Agreement:
- Federal-provincial/ federal-territorial
agreement formally negotiated;
- conditions set out for establishment &
management;
- Where land are subject to a comprehensive
land claim by aboriginal people, a new
marine conservation area can be
established as part of, or subsequent to, a
negotiated claim settlement, or a NMCA
RESERVE can be established pending the
resolution of the claim.
National Marine Conservation Areas
ESTABLISHMENT PROCEDURES;
5) Establishing NMCA in Legislation
- Responsible parties agree to establish new
marine conservation area;
- Lands administered by the federal
government;
- NMCA formally established by legislation of
the Parliament of Canada so that the Act will
apply;
- In case of NMCA RESERVE, the Act would
apply, but the status of the area would be
subject to the final resolution of the aboriginal
claim.
National Marine Conservation Areas
Establishment:
• by Act of Parliament
• in perpetuity
• finite system
Management:
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• active on-site presence
• management plans are required and
must be tabled in Parliament
• minimum protection standards
• will include high protection zones
and multiple-use zones
• ecosystem-based approach
MANDATE FOR NMCAs
NMCA Act
Purpose 4(1):
“Marine conservation areas are established in
accordance with this Act for the purpose of
protecting and conserving representative marine
areas and for the benefit, education and enjoyment of
the people of Canada and the world.”
MANDATE FOR NMCAs
NMCA Act
Management and use 4(3):
“Marine conservation areas shall be managed and used in
a sustainable manner that meets the needs of present
and future generations without compromising the
structure and function of the ecosystems,..
NMCA ZONING
Zones 4(4):
Each marine conservation area
shall be divided into zones, which
must include at least one zone
that fosters and encourages
ecologically sustainable use of
marine resources and at least one
zone that fully protects special
features or sensitive elements of
ecosystems, and may include
other types of zones.
NMCA MANAGEMENT
Primary Consideration 9(3):
Neil McDaniel
“In order to protect marine
ecosystems and maintain
marine biodiversity, the primary
considerations in the
development and modification
of management plans shall be
principles of ecosystem
management and the
precautionary principle.”
ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT
Principles:
Humans embedded in nature
Biocentric
Ecological integrity
Adaptive management
Precautionary principle
Hierarchical Context
Ecological Boundaries
Monitoring
Data collection
Interagency co-operation
Heather Holmes
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
BENEFITS OF MPAs
MPA VALUES
MPAs:
• Provide new opportunities to
coastal communities;
• Legacy for future generations;
• Protect biodiversity;
• Protect biomass and population
structure of commercial species;
• Protect and enhance productivity;
• Protect essential life stages of
commercial and non-commercial
species;
MPA VALUES
Benefits on target species:
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• Increased average
individual size and age;
• Enhanced recruitment
inside and outside
MPAs;
• Maintenance of genetic
diversity;
• Enhanced fishery yields in
adjacent fishing grounds;
SIZE AND AGE
45
Unprotected
40
Protected
Frequency (%)
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90 100 110 120 130
Size Category (cm)
Ophiodon elongatus. Size frequency distribution
of lingcod at protected and unprotected sites in
Puget Sound. Palsson & Pacunski 1995.
600
0.9
0.8
Average densities
(No. ha-1)
Average densities (No./125 m 2 )
ABUNDANCE
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
500
400
300
200
100
0
CROP
Coastal Leigh
Average densities of carnivorous fishes
at Cape Rodney - Okakari Point (CROP)
Marine Reserve and Coastal Leigh, New
Zealand (Cole and D. Keuskamp. 1998).
Protected
Unprotected
Comparison of average densities
(No./ha) of spiny lobster between
protected and non-protected sites at the
Tawharanui and Leigh marine reserves.
CATCH PER UNIT EFFORT
(Johnson et. al. 1999)
20
M ean C P U E (fish/set)
Comparison of
average
standardised
CPUE of total
game fish between
fished and unfished
areas of the
Merritt Island
National Wildlife
Refuge, Florida
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Fished
Unfished
1.8
1.6
1.4
“Loco”
Protected
Unprotected
1.2
1
0.8
0.6
20
2
(No./m )
Jul-84
May-84
Mar-84
Jan-84
Nov-83
Sep-83
Jul-83
May-83
Mar-83
Months
Average Densities
25
0.4
0.2
0
Jan-83
2
Density (#/m )
ABUNDANCE
15
10
5
0
Reserve
Exploited
Location
Concholepas concholepas. Density of intertidal predatory gastropod ‘Loco’ in protected
and unprotected areas following the establishment of a marine reserve at Punta El
Lacho, Chile (Castilla and L.R. Durán. 1985).
PRIMARY PRODUCTION
Primary production
(t. dry wt yr-1)
400
Cole and D. Keuskamp. 1998
1996
350
300
250
1978
200
150
1996
100
1978
50
1978 1996
0
Kelp forest
Shallow
mixed algae
Rock-flats
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3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
Months
Sep-84
Jul-84
May-84
Mar-84
Jan-84
Nov-83
Sep-83
Jul-83
May-83
Mar-83
0
Jan-83
Changes in the diversity
of a rocky intertidal
community at Punta El
Lacho (Chile) following
the establishment of a
marine reserve that
offered protection for
Concholepas
concholepas, a dominant
predatory gastropod
Intertidal Diversity
DIVERSITY
CONCLUSIONS
•
Marine biodiversity and fisheries depend
on healthy marine ecosystems;
•
Health of coastal communities depends on
healthy marine ecosystems;
•
Marine Protected Areas can be powerful
tools to support marine biodiversity
conservation and fisheries;
•
Marine Protected Areas are an
insurance against management and
environmental uncertainty;