MARINE CONSERVATION
What are marine protected areas for? What can and could they achieve?
By Dr Jean-Luc Solandt, Principal Specialist, Marine Protected Areas, Marine Conservation Society UK
D
o you think our seas are degraded? Do you think the amount of fish in the seas should be greater? Do you feel that the seafloor deserves a right to be rich in biodiversity, species and habitats flourishing with life abounding around them? Sadly, our seas are denuded compared to pre-industrial times, with aspects of species richness, important habitats for fish and juvenile fish hugely degraded since before the advent of industrial exploitation of marine resources, and intensive land and coastal development. We’ve pumped tonnes of nutrient-rich waters from upland rivers into our estuaries, affecting the health of many fish nurseries. We’ve allowed our shallow seas to be dredged, whilst large trawlers operate day and night in our offshore banks, catching fish and shellfish. How do we pare back from the
collateral damage from these activities that we are so accustomed to in our daily economies? In order to recover our seas, Ireland is taking on the cause to create nationally designated ‘Marine Protected Areas’. But be careful. We have them in the UK already and they are largely useless. Here’s why……. Let’s start with a definition: Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) define an area of ocean or coastline for protection of one or more habitats or species. That is a pretty broad definition. The public thinks of these as places where all things are ‘protected’ from being taken (fished or mined), dumped on (e.g. waste material from ports), and dredged (from fishing operations such as scalloping, or for ‘aggregates’ – that’s those lovely pebbles for your patio). Unfortunately there are no Irish Wildlife Winter ‘21
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