# Presentation: 542480

## Marine Protected AreasFederal Advisory CommitteeGil Radonski

- Presentation for the
**Saltwater Recreational Fishing Meeting**
- April 14, 2005

## Origins

- Authorized by Executive Order 13158, Marine Protected Areas
- Provide *“expert advice and recommendations of non-Federal scientists, resource managers and other interested persons and organizations...”* on Section 4 (b) National System of MPAs
- Reports to both Dept of Commerce and the Interior

## MPA Federal Advisory Committee

- 30 Non-Federal Members* *from industry, academia, NGOs, states and tribes
- 10 Federal *Ex Officio* members from agencies with MPA interests [links to Sec 4 (a) consultation requirement]

## Progress

- First met in June 2003
- Established three Subcommittees:
- National System of MPAs
- Stewardship and Effectiveness
- National and Regional Coordination of MPA Efforts
- Established ad hoc Workgroup on Cultural Resources

## Progress, cont.

- Heard from many stakeholder groups
- Full FAC integrated Subcommittee reports into a single Draft Report to be finalized by June 2005

## Key Elements of FAC Report

- National System Goal, Objectives and Definitions
- Guiding Principles for National System
- Proposed Structure for National System

## Draft Goal for the National System of MPAs

- To provide effective stewardship, lasting protection, and sustainable use of the nation’s natural and cultural marine resources.

## Draft Objectives for the National System of MPAs

- Conserve/restore marine biodiversity
- Conserve/restore representative examples of the nation’s marine ecosystems and habitats
- Protect areas vital to the conservation of particular species (e.g. spawning and nursery grounds)
- Protect cultural resources
- Raise awareness and knowledge of marine and coastal resources
- Strengthen existing ocean management frameworks

## Draft Guiding Principlesfor the National System

- Primary responsibility must lie with existing authorities
- Planning and nomination processes for the national system must be transparent and science-based
- Citizens, tribes and government agencies at the local and regional level must be an integral part of the process
- Provide incentives for participation
- Foster compliance through education, incentives and enforcement to enhance effectiveness
- Respect state, territorial and tribal sovereignty

## Draft Structure and Processfor the National System

- National entity to establish criteria, objectives, guidelines and policies
- Regional entities (federal agencies, states, tribes and other groups) to:
- Establish regional goals and priorities
- Facilitate a nomination process for existing and new sites
- Facilitate regional coordination of MPA sites

## Next Steps for FAC - 2005

- May:
- FAC meets to discuss draft report and adopt recommendations as a full Committee
- June:
- Adopt final report and recommendations and transmit to the Secretaries of Commerce & Interior
- DOC and DOI give FAC new charge for 2005-07 (including ongoing input to national system development)

## LIMITATIONS :

**Sec. 4. ***National System of MPAs. *(a) To the extent permitted by law and subject to the availability of appropriations. . .

## MARINE PROTECTED AREAS : 

***Tools for sustaining ocean ecosystems***
*Committee on the Evaluation, Design, and Monitoring of Marine Reserves and Protected Areas in the United States*
*Edward Houde, Chair*
*National Academy of Sciences 2001                                                                       National Academy Press, Washington DC*

## . . .from the Executive Summary 

- “MPAs, areas designated for special protection to enhance the management of marine resources, show promise as components of an ecosystem-based approach for conserving the ocean’s living assets. However, MPA proposals often raise significant controversy, especially the provision for marine reserves – zones within an MPA where removal or disturbance of resources is prohibited, sometimes referred to as closed areas or “no-take” areas.”

## . . .from the Executive Summary 

- “MPA-based approaches will shift the focus from agency-specific problem management to interagency cooperation for implementing marine policies that recognize the spatial heterogeneity of marine habitats and the need to preserve the structure of marine ecosystems.”

## . . .from the Executive Summary 

- “Integration of management across the array of federal and state agencies will be needed to develop a national system of MPAs that effectively and efficiently conserves marine resources and provides equitable representation for the diversity of groups with interests in the sea.”

##              ACCESS

- Access to and the utilization of the resources within an MPA can only be denied if it can be demonstrated that traditional management techniques (gear limitations, quota/bag limits, size limits, seasonal closed areas, etc.) will not provide a level of protection to ensure the stated goal of the MPA.

## ...shall develop a national system of MPAs (Sec 4) : 
(1) science-based identification and prioritization of natural and cultural resources for additional protection; 
(2) integrated assessments of ecological linkages among MPAs, including ecological reserves in which consumptive uses of resources are prohibited, to provide synergistic benefits; 
(3) a biological assessment of the minimum area where consumptive uses would be prohibited that is necessary to preserve representative habitats in different geographic areas of the marine environment; 
(4) an assessment of threats and gaps in levels of protection currently afforded to natural and cultural resources, as appropriate;
(5) practical, science-based criteria and protocols for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of MPAs;
(6) identification of emerging threats and user conflicts affecting MPAs and appropriate, practical, and equitable management solutions, including effective enforcement strategies, to eliminate or reduce such threats and conflicts;
 (7) assessment of the economic effects of the preferred management solutions; and 
(8) identification of opportunities to improve linkages with, and technical assistance to, international marine protected area programs.

- (1) science-based identification and prioritization of natural and cultural resources for additional protection;
- (2) integrated assessments of ecological linkages among MPAs, including ecological reserves in which consumptive uses of resources are prohibited, to provide synergistic benefits;
- (3) a biological assessment of the minimum area where consumptive uses would be prohibited that is necessary to preserve representative habitats in different geographic areas of the marine environment;
- (4) an assessment of threats and gaps in levels of protection currently afforded to natural and cultural resources, as appropriate;
- (5) practical, science-based criteria and protocols for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of MPAs;
- (6) identification of emerging threats and user conflicts affecting MPAs and appropriate, practical, and equitable management solutions, including effective enforcement strategies, to eliminate or reduce such threats and conflicts;
-  (7) assessment of the economic effects of the preferred management solutions; and
- (8) identification of opportunities to improve linkages with, and technical assistance to, international marine protected area programs.