The Irish Government has confirmed the establishment of Ireland’s first Marine National Park – Páírc Náisiúnta na Mara, Ciarraí. The new park, which is in Co. Kerry, will unite some of Europe’s most ecologically valuable places in celebration of nature across 70,000 acres of lands and seas. It brings together new acquisitions by the National […]
The Red Rocks and Longay Marine Protected Area (MPA), in the Inner Sound of Skye will be permanently designated from 9 February 2023, protecting a flapper skate egg-laying site of national importance from various activities. These include certain types of fishing, recreational sea angling, marine deposit sites/waste disposal, aquaculture, marine infrastructure and anchoring, amongst others. […]
Lord Goldsmith announces UK will support the creation of the world’s biggest transboundary marine protected area. The UK will help to protect some of the world’s most important and biodiverse marine environments in the Eastern Pacific, including key migratory routes for sea turtles, whales, sharks, and rays. At COP26 in Glasgow, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, […]
A socioeconomic analysis [1] commissioned by Seas At Risk and carried out has revealed that a ban on bottom-contacting gear (bottom trawling and bottom dredging) in Marine Protected Areas would yield net benefits as soon as four years after the ban comes into force. The study highlights that after 13 years of such a ban, […]
Paper Summary: Dave K A Barnes & others: ‘Solving biodiversity loss and climate change are part of the same problem; intact natural habitats can provide powerful and efficient climate mitigation if protected. Beyond the land (forests), there is little appreciation of just how important ocean nature is to climate mitigation. Carbon captured, stored and the […]
Peter Evans in The Conversation ‘Our oceans are under pressure like never before, with over 60% struggling from the increasing impact of fishing, coastal activities and climate change. The harsh truth is that as we move towards 2022 only 3% of oceans are totally free from the pressure of human activity. The greatest impact appears to be […]
Extended protection for flapper skate. The critically endangered flapper skate is to gain further protection following the extension of an urgent Marine Protected Area (MPA) within the Inner Sound of Skye. The site protects a nationally important flapper skate egg nursery area which is the largest of its kind to be identified in Scotland. The […]
The MPA Guide is a science-based tool and framework to identify different types of MPAs and connect these types of MPAs with the outcomes they are expected to achieve. The MPA Guide consists of four elements: Stage of Establishment, Level of Protection, Enabling Conditions, and Outcomes. Click here to access the guide and its website and it’s […]