Protected areas are set to cover one-third of oceans by 2030 yet rigorous empirical estimates of the relative performance of different marine protected area (MPA) types are few, so states a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The study compares the benefits from no-take vs. multiple-use MPAs, providing insights […]
The UK government has partnered with conservation charity ZSL to launch an app update that enables wildlife enthusiasts to track and log marine creatures in waters around British Overseas Territories (OTs). The announcement was made by the Minister of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Lord Benyon, at the Blue Belt Symposium in […]
New research highlights how the estimated 50,000 wrecks around the UK coastline are protecting the seabed. An estimated 50,000 shipwrecks can be found around the UK’s coastline and have been acting as a hidden refuge for fish, corals and other marine species in areas still open to destructive bottom towed fishing, a new study has […]
Gabon completed mainland Africa’s first-ever “debt-for-nature swap” , refinancing $500 million of its debt and earmarking $163 million in savings for marine conservation, the latest in a burgeoning list of “blue bond” deals. The central African nation, home to the world’s largest population of leatherback turtles, will spend the money over the next 15 years identifying new marine […]
Proposals for a series of Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMA) have been scrapped, the Scottish Government has confirmed. Proposals had previously been put forward to create HPMAs in at least 10% of Scotland’s waters – which would have restricted fishing and other activities. Plans to deliver increased protection for Scotland’s marine environment will be revised, […]
The Scottish Government has released plans to offer added protection to Scotland’s marine biodiversity. Proposals to develop Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) have been launched. Views are being sought on proposals that would make Scotland the first country in the world to designate at least 10% of its seas as Highly Protected Marine Areas. […]
There is strong support for more legal protection for Irish waters according to a coalition of Ireland’s leading environmental non-governmental organisations and networks. Fair Seas has revealed details of its survey conducted to learn about the connection Irish people have with the sea. The research shows that 31% of people believe that Irish seas are […]
A huge marine reserve in the Pacific Ocean has led to the recovery of tuna and other migratory fish around its borders. Carefully placed no-fishing zones can help to restore tunas and other large, iconic fish species, according to a study published in Science. The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in Hawaii is almost four times […]