Canadian Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers (CCFAM) Report on Canada’s Network of Marine Protected Areas, June 2017

Table of Contents

• Complete Text
• Executive Summary
• Introduction
• The Importance of Healthy Oceans
• Benefits of Marine Protected Areas and Marine Protected Area Networks
• Marine Protected Area Network Planning
• Progress in Priority Marine Bioregions
• Marine Conservation Targets: 2017 and 2020
• Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OEABCM)
• Conclusion

Introduction

In 2011, the National Framework for Canada’s Network of Marine Protected Areas^{Footnote 3} was developed for the CCFAM to outline a strategic direction, including a national vision and goals, for the establishment of a national network of MPAs^{Footnote 4}.

The Framework’s vision is:

An ecologically comprehensive, resilient, and representative national network of marine protected areas that protects the biological diversity and health of the marine environment for present and future generations.

In January 2016, CCFAM re-established the Oceans Task Group to provide leadership and strategic advice to increase the proportion of Canada’s marine and coastal areas that are protected – to five percent by 2017, and ten percent by 2020.

Jurisdictions are engaging through the OTG to provide guidance on the national network of MPAs in Canada’s oceans to achieve the three overarching goals of the 2011 Framework:

1. provide long-term protection of marine biodiversity, ecosystem function and special natural features;
2. support the conservation and management of Canada’s living resources and their habitats, and the socio-economic value and ecosystem services they provide; and
3. enhance public awareness and appreciation of Canada’s marine environments and rich maritime history and culture.

In 2015, the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Conservation, Wildlife and Biodiversity Steering Group and its Biodiversity Working Group (with input from Indigenous groups and stakeholders) developed the 2020 Biodiversity Goals and Targets for Canada and made a commitment to work together in accordance with each government’s respective jurisdiction and priorities. The 2020 goals and targets reflect the Aichi Targets to which the Government of Canada^{Footnote 5} is a signatory:

Target 1 is:

By 2020, at least 17 percent of terrestrial and inland waters, and 10 percent of coastal and marine areas, are conserved through networks of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures.^{Footnote 6}