Marine Protected Areas: an essential tool for the Future European Maritime Policy

1. Marine Protected Areas:an essential tool for the Future European Maritime Policy Regional Secretariat for Environment and Sea Regional Directorate for Environment Frederico Cardigos

3. The Importance of Marine Protected Areas Marine Protected Areas (MPA) are recognized in most regions of the world as an important way to conserve life-sustaining ecosystems and specific habitat for marine animals They are used to protect and preserve representative samples of marine biodiversity for the benefit of future generations. They are distinct from terrestrial protected areas by being less about preventing immediate threats or looming extinction and more about precaution and the benefits to industry of preserving types of habitat.

4. Benefits of MPAs Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been shown to have substantial benefits for: renewing fish and other marine populations scientific and educational initiatives encouraging support of marine conservation from human communities attracting important economic interest from marine ecotourism that is compatible with zoned MPAs.

5. Influence on Economy Fisheries: MPA help preserve genetic diversity, especially in heavily exploited populations; they provide a refuge where individuals can mature and populations evolve unaffected by harvesting and other human impacts Contributions to technology and scientific knowledge: the oceans and the biodiversity they contain provide the raw materials for new sources of food, textiles, medicines and energy Contribution to sustainable tourism: diversity and abundance of marine life attracts tourists, generating business opportunities and sustaining coastal communities. At the same time, marine protected areas provide a tool for regulating the impacts of tourism on the marine environment and ensuring equitable access rights

6. Classified Areas of the Azores The classified areas of othe Azores are exceptional sites that combine a high botanical, faunistical, ecological, landscape and geological interest. A cinzento, ou propostas ou potenciais candidaturasA cinzento, ou propostas ou potenciais candidaturas

7. Timeline of (Marine) Protected Areas in the Azores

8. Regional Management Models: different answers to different needs Corvo: being the smallest island of the archipelago, it exhibits a well preserved coastal environment and contains a small population, receptive to proposals on environmental conservation. Therefore, it seems to unite all conditions for a sustainable management plan.

9. Marine Protected Areas in the Azores  24 Protected Areas (classified) 12 Regional Natural Reserves 4 Protected Landscape of Regional Interest 7 Regional Natural Monuments 1 Natural Park

10. OSPAR Network of MPA Purpose: complete by 2010 a joint network of well-managed marine protected areas of Europe that, together with the NATURA 2000 network, is ecologically coherent.

11. Lucky Strike and Menez Gwen are two off shore hydrothermal vent fields of relatively shallow location (-1700m and -900m deep, respectively) located inside the Portuguese EEZ, in the proximity to the Azores The sites were proposed �with the aim of promoting knowledge, monitoring and conservation of an area that best represents species, habitats and ecological processes in deep-sea hydrothermal vents in the OSPAR area, while enabling sustainable scientific research and promoting education and environmental public awareness and interest�. This situation creates a unique opportunity to link science, education and environment protection

12. UNESCO Biosphere Reserves � Graciosa and Corvo: nature �certificates of quality� that have the potential of triggering sustainable development, through the promotion of the �quality image of these islands� World Heritage Sites � Mid-Atlantic Ridge: Azorean (marine off-shore) sites along the ridge may become candidates to this classification

13. Habitats Directive: preservation of threatened, rare and vulnerable natural habitats and species 19 (23) SCI/ZEC with management proposals Natura 2000 Network - Azores SCI - Sites of Community Importance; afinal s�o 19 ou 23??SCI - Sites of Community Importance; afinal s�o 19 ou 23??

14. Regional Network of Protected Areas As a consequence of the ecological deterioration during the last two decades, various isolated legislative measures have been taken for the conservation of marine species and habitats in the Azores; As a Region with a maritime area larger than the terrestrial, the Azores has a special responsibility for the conservation and management of its marine and coastal environments and their resources; With a view to prevent what has happened with previous scattered measures, the need to implement an integrated program of management planning became evident.

15. In 2007, the Regional Government of the Azores legislated the revision of the Regional Network of Protected Areas Regional Network of Protected Areas

16. Regional Network of Protected Areas In a move towards consistency in defining and managing marine protected areas worlwide, the Regional Government of the Azores adopted the World Conservation Union's (IUCN) set of seven internationally recognised management categories

17. Regional Network of Protected Areas Existent classified areas will be re-classified in order to integrate the network; new classifications will also be studied. SAC � Special Areas of Conservation (ZEC); SPA � Special Protection Areas (ZPE); IBAs � Important Bird Areas SAC � Special Areas of Conservation (ZEC); SPA � Special Protection Areas (ZPE); IBAs � Important Bird Areas

18. Rainbow The Oslo-Paris International Commission (OSPAR) has accepted the Portuguese jurisdiction over the deep-sea hydrothermal vent Rainbow, situated outside the EEZ but close to the Azorean archipelago.

19. The Role of Europe Green Paper (towards a Future Maritime Policy for the Union): Ecosystem Approach & Precautionary Principle Regards MPAs as an essential management tool in spatial planning for a growing maritime economy Advocates for a common vision in the form of an overall coastal and marine spatial development plan Off-shore activities (eg. MPA): a move towards more coordination between these and among Member States Azorean contribution to the Green Paper: the Regional Government has made a strong investment in the qualification of the Regional Network of Protected Areas � an example to follow

20. NATURA 2000 Network - Europe

21. MPAs across Europe European MPA Network that cuts across common needs and interests: �when the establishment of protected areas is coordinated to form a network, it ensures the maintenance of ecosystems across many levels - locally, regionally and globally.� ; Creation of pan-European �corridor� MPAs for the safeguarding of the life-cycle of migratory species. Tackle the giants of marine environmental degradation with the use of MPAs : industrial fishing fleets and trawlers, offshore oil and mining operations and dumping of industrial and military toxic waste. The creation of effective Category I (strict nature reserve) marine protected areas, nested within biosphere reserves, is an important way to exercise the precautionary principle to protect ecosystems while research is carried out.