About

Wildlife Alliance's marine seascapes program represents a new frontier in environmental conservation. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are established in coastal or other locations where significant marine biodiversity exists. In addition to their biological significance, their protection is of particular importance from a cultural standpoint, as they are spawning areas for fish and other marine species that local communities depend on for their livelihoods.

Coastal marine resources and Marine Protected Areas in many countries continue to suffer from ineffective protection. Where MPAs exist, governments and agencies often lack the resources and training to effectively monitor their ecological health and protect against violations of laws that protect fish, sea turtles, marine mammals, and coral reef ecosystems.

The vastness and logistical difficulties inherent in the protection of Marine Protected Areas pose unusual conservation challenges. To improve protection of these important areas, agencies and non-profit conservation groups must make comprehensive assessments of indigenous resources and threats, address weaknesses in regulations and other legislation; recommend changes in government structure and policy; and provide needed equipment and training.
 
In 2002, as a result of a significant grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Wildlife Alliance began to help countries in the Pacific Rim meet these challenges.

We launched our marine protection program by conducting on-site threats and needs assessments of Marine Protected Areas in the Republic of Palau and in Pohnpei State, Federated States of Micronesia. In 2003, we also completed assessments in Loreto Marine Park and Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve in Mexico. The assessments concluded that many Marine Protected Areas exist only on paper, and continue to be exploited in an unsustainable and detrimental manner. Working with local governments, communities, and non-profit conservation groups, we have focused on implementing the recommendations that arise from our assessments. This includes:

• Conducting enforcement workshops
• Helping to drive positive changes in legislation and enforcement policy
• Equipping local enforcement teams with necessary technology and training