Final Report of the National Advisory Panel on Marine Protected Area Standards

Submitted to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

September 26, 2018

Rémi Bujold and Mary Simon,
Panel Co-Chairs

David Anderson
Darcy Dobell
Tom Hayes
Marc Léger
Maureen Thomas

Table of Contents

• Complete Text
• Letter to Minister
• Summary of recommendations
• Introduction
• Principles
• Panel’s process
• What we heard
• Effectiveness of marine protected areas
• Recommendations
  1. Collaborative planning and design
  2. Crown-Indigenous relations
  3. Protection standards
  4. Marine spatial planning
• Conclusion
• Appendix 1: List of intervenors and written submissions
• Appendix 2: Terms of reference for the National Advisory Panel on MPA Standards
• Appendix 3: Panel members
• Appendix 4: Glossary and acronyms

Conclusion

We are grateful to the many intervenors and experts who took the time to make submissions to us over the past seven months. It is clear that people who live and work on Canada’s three coasts are committed to the long-term health of our oceans, and our recommendations reflect that fundamental principle. We believe that Canada’s oceans are a precious resource that can be best maintained if we are mindful of protecting the rich biodiversity in them. Our work has made it abundantly clear that they are worth preserving and the government of Canada has the willingness and ability to do so.

Our recommendations on good process, Crown-Indigenous relations and reconciliation, protection standards, and marine spatial planning have come from our own deliberations as a Panel as well as hearing from those who are passionate about conserving the health of Canada’s oceans. We have heard widely and listened closely. We now look to the federal government to implement these recommendations in a bold and meaningful way.