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MARINE PROTECTED AREAS

29th March, 2023

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Context

  • India will continue to support setting up two Marine Protected Areas (MPA) in Antarctica to protect marine life and its ecosystem services.

Need for MPAs in Antarctica

  • The Southern Ocean that encircles Antarctica covers around 10 per cent of the global ocean and is home to nearly 10,000 unique polar species.
  • Climate change is altering habitats such as sea ice and the sheltered seafloor under ice shelves that are home to a variety of species. 
    • Commercial fishery harvest krill, a shrimp-like crustacean that can grow to 6 centimetres in length, to produce fish meal for feeding farmed fish and nutritional supplements for people.
    • Increased harvesting of krill threatens animals that feed on them. These include fish, whales, seals, penguins and other seabirds. 
  • Climate change and anthropogenic exploitation (commercial fishing) of the region need to be minimised, and therefore MPA is necessary,” BC Choudhary, senior technical advisor at the Wildlife Trust of India, told 

MPAs in Southern Ocean

  • The Southern Ocean has two MPAs — one in the southern shelf of the South Orkney Islands and the other in the Ross Sea.
  • These fully protect only 5 per cent of the ocean. 
  • All types of fishing, other than scientific research, are prohibited within the southern shelf of the South Orkney Islands MPA.
  • Discharges and dumping from fishing vessels are also not allowed.
  • No further MPAs have been established despite three further MPAs being at advanced stages of development.

Prospective MPAs

  • Since 2012, the European Union and Australia have proposed an MPA in East Antarctica.
  • An MPA was proposed in the Weddell Sea by the EU and Norway and in the waters surrounding the Antarctic Peninsula by Chile and Argentina.
  • In 2021, India extended its support for designating East Antarctica and the Weddell Sea as MPA.  
  • China and Russia blocked these efforts at the 41st annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).

Marine Protected Areas

Need

  • Marine ecosystems are immensely varied both in type and geographical extent.
  • Covering about 70% of the earth’s surface, these ecosystems play a crucial role in human welfare, by providing social, economic and environmental benefits to the world’s growing population.
  • The pressures on marine ecosystems from human activities however are multiple, and expected to rise.
  • These pressures can also re-enforce each other, exerting cumulative impacts on marine ecosystems and biodiversity.
  • Ocean-based industries are projected to double their contribution to global value-added by 2030.

About

  • A marine protected area (MPA) is essentially a space in the ocean where human activities are more strictly regulated than the surrounding waters - similar to parks we have on land.
  • These places are given special protections for natural or historic marine resources by local, state, territorial, native, regional, or national authorities.        

  • According to this definition, MPAs cover about 4.12% of the total marine environment.
  • Under both the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Sustainable Development Goals, Parties have agreed to conserve 10% of marine and coastal areas by 2020.
  • CBD Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 states: By 2020, at least 17% of terrestrial and inland water, and 10% of coastal and marine areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services, are conserved through effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and well-connected systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, and integrated into the wider landscape and seascapes.

Benefits

  • MPAs can provide a wide variety of benefits ranging from the conservation of whole areas that are home to important biodiversity, serving as nursery grounds for fisheries and enhancing fish stocks, protecting habitats that buffer the impacts of storms and waves, and removing excess nutrients and pollutants from the water.
  • They can also provide more sustainable tourism and recreational benefits, as well as enhance other non-use values such as cultural and heritage values.

Challenges

  • Strategically siting MPAs so as to maximise environmental and socio-economic benefits in a cost-effective way.
  • Agreeing on and implementing adequate MPA management plans.
  • Putting in place robust monitoring and reporting frameworks.
  • Ensuring solid compliance and enforcement mechanisms l mobilising sufficient finance to enable sustainable management.
  • Embedding MPAs in an effective policy mix so as to address the multiple pressures.

Way Forward

  • Develop a clear understanding of the state of and pressures on particular marine and coastal ecosystems, the likelihood that MPAs can address these, and the range of stakeholders involved.
  • Clearly define the goals and objectives of the MPA, and the required level of protection to achieve these. These should be stated at an operational level, so as to be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound (SMART), and accompanying indicators should be identified that will enable the eventual assessment of whether the objectives are being met.
  • Estimate the expected costs and benefits of MPAs. While studies evaluating the costs and benefits of MPAs do exist, in general economic valuation is not yet widespread and is not being used to help inform the design and implementation of MPAs.
  • Siting of MPAs needs to be undertaken in more strategic manner, to enhance the environmental as well as cost-effectiveness of MPAs. Software tools such as Marxan and MarZone which aid systematic reserve design have been used in several cases but could be adopted more widely

List of Marine Protected Areas in Peninsular India

S.No.

State/UT

Name of MPA

Legal Status

Area

Year of Notificaion

1

Andhra Pradesh

Coringa

Sanctuary

235.70

1978

2

Andhra Pradesh

Krishna

Sanctuary

194.81

1989

3

Andhra Pradesh

Pulicat Lake

Sanctuary

600.00

1980

4

Daman & Diu

Fudam

Sanctuary

2.18

1991

5

Goa

Chorao Island

Sanctuary

1.78

1988

6

Gujarat

Marine (Gulf of Kachchh)

National Park

162.89

1995

7

Gujarat

Marine (Gulf of Kachchh)

Sanctuary

295.03

1980

8

Gujarat

Khijadia

Sanctuary

6.05

1981

9

Kerala

Kadalundi Vallikkunnu

Community Reserve

1.50

2007

10

Maharashtra

Malvan Marine

Sanctuary

29.12

1987

11

Maharashtra

Thane Creek Flamingo

Sanctuary

16.905

2015

12

Odisha

Bhitarkanika

National Park

145.00

1998

13

Odisha

Bhitarkanika

Sanctuary

525.00

1975

14

Odisha

Chilka (Nalaban)

Sanctuary

15.53

1987

15

Odisha

Gahirmatha

Sanctuary

1435.00

1997

16

Odisha

Balukhand Konark

Sanctuary

71.72

1984

17

Tamil Nadu

Gulf of Mannar Marine

National Park

526.02

1980

18

Tamil Nadu

Point Calimere

Sanctuary

17.26

1967

19

Tamil Nadu

Pulicat Lake

Sanctuary

153.67

1980

20

Tamil Nadu

Pulicat Lake Block-A & Block-B

Sanctuary

124.0727

2013

21

West Bengal

Sundarbans

National Park

1330.10

1984

22

West Bengal

West Sundarbans

Sanctuary

556.45

2013

23

West Bengal

Haliday Island

Sanctuary

5.95

1976

24

West Bengal

Sajnakhali

Sanctuary

362.40

1976

25

West Bengal

Lothian Island

Sanctuary

38.00

1976

Total Area

6852.14

 

List of Marine Protected Areas in Islands of India

S.No.

Name of MPA

Legal Status

Area of MPA

Year of Notification

Andaman & Nicobars Islands

1

Campbell Bay

National Park

426.23

1992

2

Galathea Bay

National Park

110.00

1992

3

Mahatama Gandhi Marine (Wandoor)

National Park

281.50

1983

4

Mount Harriett

National Park

46.62

1987

5

Rani Jhansi Marine

National Park

320.06

1996

6

Saddle Peak

National Park

32.54

1987

7

Arial Island

Sanctuary

0.05

1987

8

Bamboo Island

Sanctuary

0.05

1987

9

Barren Island

Sanctuary

8.10

1987

10

Battimalv Island

Sanctuary

2.23

1987

11

Belle Island

Sanctuary

0.08

1987

12

Benett Island

Sanctuary

3.46

1987

13

Bingham Island

Sanctuary

0.08

1987

14

Blister Island

Sanctuary

0.26

1987

15

Bluff Island

Sanctuary

1.14

1987

16

Bondoville Island

Sanctuary

2.55

1987

17

Brush Island

Sanctuary

0.23

1987

18

Buchanan Island

Sanctuary

9.33

1987

19

Chanel Island

Sanctuary

0.13

1987

20

Cinque Islands

Sanctuary

9.51

1987

21

Clyde Island

Sanctuary

0.54

1987

22

Cone Island

Sanctuary

0.65

1987

23

Curlew (B.P.) Island

Sanctuary

0.16

1987

24

Curlew Island

Sanctuary

0.03

1987

25

Cuthbert Bay

Sanctuary

5.82

1997

26

Defence Island

Sanctuary

10.49

1987

27

Dot Island

Sanctuary

0.13

1987

28

Dottrell Island

Sanctuary

0.13

1987

29

Duncan Island

Sanctuary

0.73

1987

30

East Island

Sanctuary

6.11

1987

31

East of Inglis Island

Sanctuary

3.55

1987

32

Egg Island

Sanctuary

0.05

1987

33

Elat Island

Sanctuary

9.36

1987

34

Entrance Island

Sanctuary

0.96

1987

35

Gander Island

Sanctuary

0.05

1987

36

Girjan Island

Sanctuary

0.16

1987

37

Goose Island

Sanctuary

0.01

1987

38

Hump Island

Sanctuary

0.47

1987

39

Interview Island

Sanctuary

133.87

1987

40

James Island

Sanctuary

2.10

1987

41

Jungle Island

Sanctuary

0.52

1987

42

Kwangtung Island

Sanctuary

0.57

1987

43

Kyd Island

Sanctuary

8.00

1987

44

Landfall Island

Sanctuary

29.48

1987

45

Latouche Island

Sanctuary

0.96

1987

46

Lohabarrack (Saltwater Crocodile)

Sanctuary

22.21

1987

47

Mangrove Island

Sanctuary

0.39

1987

48

Mask Island

Sanctuary

0.78

1987

49

Mayo Island

Sanctuary

0.10

1987

50

Montogemery Island

Sanctuary

0.21

1987

51

Narcondam Island

Sanctuary

6.81

1987

52

North Brother Island

Sanctuary

0.75

1987

53

North Island

Sanctuary

0.49

1987

54

North Reef Island

Sanctuary

3.48

1987

55

Oliver Island

Sanctuary

0.16

1987

56

Orchid Island

Sanctuary

0.10

1987

57

Ox Island

Sanctuary

0.13

1987

58

Oyster Island-I

Sanctuary

0.08

1987

59

Oyster Island-II

Sanctuary

0.21

1987

60

Paget Island

Sanctuary

7.36

1987

61

Parkinson Island

Sanctuary

0.34

1987

62

Passage Island

Sanctuary

0.62

1987

63

Patric Island

Sanctuary

0.13

1987

64

Peacock Island

Sanctuary

0.62

1987

65

Pitman Island

Sanctuary

1.37

1987

66

Point Island

Sanctuary

3.07

1987

67

Potanma Islands

Sanctuary

0.16

1987

68

Ranger Island

Sanctuary

4.26

1987

69

Reef Island

Sanctuary

1.74

1987

70

Roper Island

Sanctuary

1.46

1987

71

Ross Island

Sanctuary

1.01

1987

72

Rowe Island

Sanctuary

0.01

1987

73

Sandy Island

Sanctuary

1.58

1987

74

Sea Serpent Island

Sanctuary

0.78

1987

75

Shark Island

Sanctuary

0.60

1987

76

Shearme Island

Sanctuary

7.85

1987

77

Sir Hugh Rose Island

Sanctuary

1.06

1987

78

Sisters Island

Sanctuary

0.36

1987

79

Snake Island-I

Sanctuary

0.73

1987

80

Snake Island-II

Sanctuary

0.03

1987

81

South Brother Island

Sanctuary

1.24

1987

82

South Reef Island

Sanctuary

1.17

1987

83

South Sentinel Island

Sanctuary

1.61

1987

84

Spike Island-I

Sanctuary

0.42

1987

85

Spike Island-II

Sanctuary

11.70

1987

86

Stoat Island

Sanctuary

0.44

1987

87

Surat Island

Sanctuary

0.31

1987

88

Swamp Island

Sanctuary

4.09

1987

89

Table (Delgarno) Island

Sanctuary

2.29

1987

90

Table (Excelsior) Island

Sanctuary

1.69

1987

91

Talabaicha Island

Sanctuary

3.21

1987

92

Temple Island

Sanctuary

1.04

1987

93

Tillongchang Island

Sanctuary

16.83

1985

94

Tree Island

Sanctuary

0.03

1987

95

Trilby Island

Sanctuary

0.96

1987

96

Tuft Island

Sanctuary

0.29

1987

97

Turtle Islands

Sanctuary

0.39

1987

98

West Island

Sanctuary

6.40

1987

99

Wharf Island

Sanctuary

0.11

1987

100

White Cliff Island

Sanctuary

0.47

1987

Total Area

1594.78

 

Lakshadweep

1

Pitti

Sanctuary

0.01

2002

2

A. Attakoya Thangal Marine

Conservation Reserve

40.00

2019

3

Dr. K.K. Mohammed Koya Sea Cucumber

Conservation Reserve

172.59

2019

4

P.M. Sayeed Marine Birds

Conservation Reserve

57.46

2019

Total Area

270.06

 

Grand Total Area

1864.84

 

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q) The total ecosystem service benefits of achieving 10% coverage of MPAs have been estimated at USD 622-923 billion over the period 2015-2050. Discuss. (150 words)

 

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/world/-india-supports-marine-protected-areas-in-antarctica-to-conserve-ocean-life-jitendra-singh-to-dte-88489