Complied by Genevieve Aningo

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are “ a range of habitats, including the open ocean, coastal areas, intertidal zones, estuaries, and the Great Lakes. Marine Protected Areas are defined areas where human activities are restricted or managed to protect important natural or cultural resources. It also includes marine or fresh water protected areas.

Concerns regarding the effect of human activities such as overfishing, marine pollution, climate change and many other factors that have led to the degradation of marine habitat led to the establishment of MPAs, a concept that should save the marine  if embraced. 

The USS Monitor was the first of 15 marine protected areas that make up the National Marine Sanctuary System, which includes more than 600,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes waters. Fishing and the take of marine life such as shellfish or seaweed is allowed in about half of California’s marine protected areas. Each type or kind of marine protected area has different regulations; inside state marine parks, sport fishing is encouraged, but commercial fishing is prohibited.

Sylvia Earle, world’s foremost oceanographer and diver is the proponent of this initiative. She initiated the “Hope Spots” concepts which simply are MPAs which hopefully will restore the marine habitat.

In Africa however, only 25 out of  48 countries have Marine Protected Areas .  

West and Central Africa (Francophone) 

West and Central Africa (Anglophone) 

Eastern and Southern Africa sub-region