Marine protected areas (MPAs) are areas of ocean dedicated to protecting biodiversity and resources through legal means. They include habitats like coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangroves. MPAs are important for protecting ecosystems from threats like development, pollution, overfishing, and climate change, which can damage populations and coral reefs. Effective MPAs are designed to be large, simple shapes to minimize edge effects, protect critical habitats, maintain connectivity between areas, and support ecosystem functions.

1. CORAL REEFS
MARINE PROTECTED AREAS

2. What is marine protected area?
• A marine protected area (MPA) is an area of
sea especially dedicated to the protection and
maintenance of biodiversity, and of natural
and associated cultural resources, and
managed through legal or other effective
means.

3. MPA’s include
• Marine parks
• nature reserves
• locally managed marine
areas that protect reefs
• Sea grass beds
• Ship wrecks
• Archaeological sites
• Tidal lagoons
•Mudflats
•Salt marshes
•Mangroves
•Rock platforms
•Underwater areas
on the coast .
• the seabed in deep water,
as well as open water (the
water column)

4. History of MPA’s
• The world’s first marine protected area- Fort
Jefferson National Monument in Florida,
which covered 18850 hectares of sea and 35
hectares of coastal land.

6. Why marine protected areas?
Increasing impacts on the world's oceans, caused by
• Development ,
• Pollution ,
• Overfishing , and
• natural events, strain the health of our coastal and
marine ecosystems.

7. Why marine protected areas?
Some of above impacts can include
• decreased or damaged fish populations,
bleached corals,
• threatened or endangered species
• limited job opportunities.
MPAs are one type of ocean management tool
that, when used effectively, help ensure healthy
oceans. They may also protect historic artifacts
such as shipwrecks that could otherwise be
damaged by handling or theft.

8. Coral reef and MPA’s
• Coral reefs are one of the most productive, yet
most threatened, ecosystems on the planet.

9. • Marine protected areas (MPAs) provide place-based
management of marine ecosystems
through various degrees and types of
protective actions. Habitats such as coral reefs
are especially susceptible to degradation
resulting from climate change, as evidenced
by mass bleaching events over the past two
decades.

10. Marine ecosystems are being altered by
direct effects of climate change including
• ocean warming
• ocean acidification
• rising sea level
• changing circulation patterns
• increasing severity of storms
• changing freshwater influxes.

11. Design a MPA
General recommendation
• Size
• Shape
• Risk spreading(representation, replication, and
spread)
• Critical areas
• Connectivity
• Maintain ecosystem function
• Ecosystem based management

12. Size
• There is no ideal size applicable to all MPAs;
size should be determined by the specific
management objectives for each MPA and the
species and habitats targeted for protection.
• It should be minimum 10-20 km in diameter.
BIGGER IS BETTER

13. Shape
• Simple shapes should be used, such as
squares or rectangles, rather than elongated
or convoluted ones,
• to minimize edge effects while maximizing
interior protected area

14. Risk spreading
• climate change will not impact marine species
equally everywhere
• Measure the SST( sea surface temperature)

15. Critical areas
• Areas that are biologically and ecologically
important
• Areas that exhibits high productivity
• Areas that may be naturally more resistant or
resilient to the threat of climate change

16. Connectivity
• Connectivity is the natural linkage between
marine habitats which occurs via larval
disperse and the movements of adults and
juveniles
• It is important that biological patterns of
connectivity among reefs be identified

17. Eco system functions
• MPAs should include large areas, a broad
range of habitats, and a high diversity of
species
• Protecting functional groups is an important
strategy for supporting ecosystem function

18. Ecosystem value
• Scientists need to recognize the importance of
maximizing the outputs of the services that
ecosystem functions generate, quantifying
and managing trade-offs among ecosystem
services to benefit both humans and nature.

19. Marine protected areas in SriLanka
There are only two sea areas that have been
declared as marine sanctuaries especially to
protect the coral reefs. They are the
• Hikkaduwa Marine Sanctuary (declared in 1979)
• The Bar Reef Marine Sanctuary (declared in
1992)
declared under section 2(2) of the Fauna and
Flora Protection Ordinance (Chapter 469) as
amended by Act No. 44 of 1964 and Act No. 1 of
1970.

20. Corals are in crisis

21. Benefits
• conserving representative samples of biological
diversity and associated ecosystems;
• protecting critical sites for reproduction and growth
of species;
• protecting sites with minimal direct human impact to
help them recover from other stresses such as
increased ocean temperature;
• protecting settlement and growth areas for marine
species so as to provide spill-over addition in
adjacent areas;

22. • providing focal points for education about
marine ecosystems and human interactions
with them;
• providing sites for nature-based recreation
and tourism; and
• providing undisturbed control or reference
sites serving as a baseline for scientific
research and for design and evaluation of
management of other areas.

24. Reference
• THE BENEFITS OF MARINE PROTECTED AREAS
• Designing Effective Coral Reef Marine Protected Areas A Synthesis Report
Based on Presentations at the 9th International Coral Reef Symposium
Bali, Indonesia October 2000
• HISTORY OF MARINE PROTECTED AREAS: MEASUREMENTS, MECHANISMS
& FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES Leonard Sonnenschein, President World
Aquarium & Conservation for the Oceans Foundation Co-Founder, World
Ocean Network
• ISRS BRIEFING PAPER 1 MARINE PROTECTED AREAS (MPAS) IN
MANAGEMENT OF CORAL REEFS
• EFFECTIVE CORAL REEF MARINE PROTECTED AREAS (MPAs):The Coral Reef
Alliance
• Designing marine protected area networks to address the impacts of
climate change Elizabeth McLeod, Rodney Salm, Alison Green, and Jeanine
Almany

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