A Motley Collection

Managed by non-governmental and private organisations

• Great South Bay Marine Conservation Area, United States
• Chumbe Island Coral Park, Tanzania

Non-governmental or private organisations are mainly responsible for managing and enforcing these marine protected areas. Part of Great South Bay on the east coast of the United States, less than 100 kilometres (62 miles) from downtown New York, has been managed by the Nature Conservancy for 13 years. It aims to re-build the clam and sea-grass beds that used to line the bay’s floor. Although clam-stocking programmes showed promise for increasing the number of young clams in central Great South Bay, major threats originating from coastal land use and pollution continue. The Nature Conservancy is working with governments and communities to address the broader land-based impacts both within and outside the protected area.

Managed jointly

• Galápagos Marine Reserve, Ecuador
• Seaflower Marine Protected Area, Colombia
• Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, Philippines

To manage these marine protected areas, central governments share authority and responsibility with lower levels of government or private or non-governmental organisations. This approach seems to be characteristic of less economically developed countries where there is a degree of commitment to conservation, but weak government capacity. The Galápagos Marine Reserve is one of these marine protected areas where locals involved in tourism, fishing and guiding, as well as environmental NGOs and scientific bodies, are included in decision-making through participative management boards.

Others: no clear management

Sadly, there are more protected areas without any clear governance in the ocean (and on land) than there should be. Lack of political leadership and capacity hinders the development of effective governance and enforcement for these sites. Research from 10 years ago showed that just 9% of marine protected areas on coral reefs effectively prevented poaching in their waters and that less than 0.1% of the world’s coral reefs lay in marine protected areas that were able to prevent extractive activities (that is, no-take areas without poaching). Marine ‘protected’ areas like this are generally no different to other parts of the ocean.