Marine Protected Area Network Strategy for the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence Bioregion

Table of Contents

• Complete Text
• List of Initialisms and Acronyms
• Introduction
• Geographic Scope
• Vision
• Definitions
  • Marine Protected Area
  • Network of Marine Protected Areas
• Expected Benefits of the Network
• Guiding Principles
• Design Elements of the Network
  • Goals
  • Network Design Properties and Components
  • Strategic Conservation Objectives
  • Economic, Social and Cultural Considerations
• Network Design Phases
  • Identify and Involve Interested Parties Throughout the Process
  • Determine the Strategic Conservation Objectives and Guiding Economic and Social Principles
  • Gather, Map and Analyse the Best Available Ecological, Economic, Social and Cultural Information
  • Define Marine Protected Area Network Design Options
  • Develop a Marine Protected Area Network Design
  • Implement the Network Design by the Responsible Authorities
  • Manage and Monitor the Marine Protected Area Network
• Bibliography
• Appendix 1
  • Glossary of Terms
• Appendix 2
  • Network Design Phases

Definitions

Marine Protected Area

The definition adopted is a modified version of the definition proposed in 2008 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the World Commission on Protected Areas (IUCN/WCPA), which has been adapted to the marine environment:

“A clearly defined marine geographical space recognized, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and functions and cultural values.”

Therefore, a marine protected area is guided by the IUCN principles listed below:

• To conserve nature is the main objective (this can include other goals, but in case of conflict, the conservation of nature will be the priority);
• To take the necessary measures to control any exploitation or management practice that will be harmful to the conservation objectives for which a marine protected area was established;
• To ensure that protected areas maintain or, ideally, increase the degree of naturalness of the target ecosystem;
• To manage protected areas in perpetuity and not on a temporary basis.

However, network development will respect the various federal and provincial statutes that will be used to establish MPAs depending on the conservation objective of the area. With respect to Oceans Act designated marine protected areas an adaptive management approach will be applied as required.

Network of Marine Protected Areas

The definition adopted for this strategy reads as follows:

“A collection of individual marine protected areas that operates complementary and synergistically, at various spatial scales, and with a range of protection levels, in order to fulfill ecological aims more effectively and comprehensively than individual sites could do alone.”

This definition of an MPA network was proposed by IUCN in 2007 and informed the development of the National Framework for Canada’s Network of Marine Protected Areas.