Conservation Biology​​​ in the Boreal
HOW DOES NEWFOUNDLAND and LABRADOR COMPARE??​
Goals of Marine Protected Areas
Some main goals of marine protected areas are as follows; Conservation of biodiversity and habitat, protection of threatened and endangered species, to preserve and restore representative habitats and ensuring that current economic fishing operations remain viable. (1)​
Conservation of biodiversity and habitat – Marine protected areas offer an opportunity to conserve fragile marine habitat for future use by both marine species and humans. Some examples of uses of preserved habitat include, allowing future collection of goods such as shellfish and shells, continued carbon sequestration and nutrient recycling such as through the actions of coral reefs and for potential future creation of new drugs through previously unknown species that can be found for example in complex deep sea coral reefs. (2)
Protection of threatened and endangered species – Goes hand and hand with the protection of biodiversity and habitat. Many of the organisms, which occupy fragile or unique marine habitat, depend on particular features that are only found only in that particular habitat. Ex: Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) spawning grounds. (2)
To preserve and restore representative habitat – Through the preservation of representative habitats, MPAs are likely to also ensure that the diverse species associated with habitat is preserved, as well as ensuring the genetic diversity of organisms found in such habitat is maintained. (2)
Ensuring that current economic fishing operations remain viable – The goal of a MPA can be to ensure the sustainability of future fishing operations. There are several approaches to achieving this goal. MPAs can be selected in order to protect critical stages in a species life history such as the juvenile stage of Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua). A MPA can be put into place with the goal of reducing the impacts of secondary fishing on an endangered species, for example while trawling for small bait fish, the threatened Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua) can also be caught. (2)
References:
(1) Agardy, Tundi. (1997). Marine Protected Areas and Ocean Conservation. San Diego, Calif., U.S.A.: Academic.
(2) National Research Council. (2001). Marine Protected Areas: Tools for Sustaining Ocean Ecosystems. Washington, D.C.: National Academy.
Different deep sea, cold water coral species off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. Retrieved from: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/dpr-rpp07-08/sect3j-eng.htm (3)
This picture shows a congregation of delicate sea pens which are quite vulnerable to destruction by the use of bottom trawling gear. Retrieved from: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/dpr-rpp07-08/sect3j-eng.htm (3)