marine protected area

[muh-reen pruh-tek-tid air-ee-uh]

noun

1. a designated marine region officially managed for the long-term conservation of its natural resources, ecosystems, or cultural heritage and often facilitating such public services as recreation, research, and education. MPA

Word History and Origins

Origin of marine protected area¹

Fitrst recorded in 2000–05

Example Sentences

“A marine protected area should be an area that protects part of the marine environment,” says Sophie Elliott of the Wildlife Conservation Trust, the study’s lead author.

Read more on Salon

Another key issue in marine protected area management is what should count as “protected.”

Read more on Salon

"When people hear that an area of ocean is a marine protected area, we expect a healthy ocean area with abundant marine life that sustains local communities in the long term. That's not always the case," Sullivan-Stack said.

Read more on Science Daily

"Here we've used a standardized assessment method to provide an evidence-based understanding of where we actually stand on ocean protection in MPAs, and we show that a large portion of the global marine protected area is not actually set up or functioning to achieve these goals."

Read more on Science Daily

They were also all in general use zones -- the weakest type of marine protected area -- and even then had only "inadequate or moderate enforcement."

Read more on Science Daily