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

Expected Benefits of the Network

The expected outcome of creating a network of MPAs is to derive multi-dimensional benefits from an ecological, economic, social and cultural standpoint ^{Footnote 5}. Some examples:

Ecological Benefits:

• Help maintain the ecological services of the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence Bioregion;
• Contribute to the conservation of the structure, function and integrity of ecosystems, including important habitats (e.g., breeding, foraging, rearing and nursery grounds) and safe places for endangered or depleted species;
• Contribute to the overall biodiversity of the ecosystem of the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence Bioregion through spillover effects;
• Conserve control sites for scientific research and monitoring marine biodiversity;
• Help mitigate climate change impacts by building resilience and redundancy (e.g., through carbon storage in protected sea grasses and salt marshes).

Economic Benefits:

• Help conserve and restore fish habitat and commercial, recreational and Aboriginal fishery resources;
• Help enhance productivity of adjacent fishing grounds via spillover effect of fish and fish larvae from MPA boundaries;
• Facilitate opportunities for the fishing, tourism and other industries to achieve eco-certification in the context of ecosystem management and sustainable development of these industries;
• Help maintain and develop tourism and recreational activities, which will help to diversify regional economies.

Social and Cultural Benefits:

• Increase predictability for resource users and thereby help reduce user conflicts of the natural environment;
• Enable development of the natural and cultural heritage of the Gulf of St. Lawrence region;
• Help conserve traditional uses (ceremonial and subsistence activities), cultural heritage and archaeological sites (including shipwrecks among others);
• Provide opportunities for scientific research, education and public awareness.