The concept of marine reserves is new and different from standard
marine management. It is proactive rather than reactive. Its operation is
not dependent on detailed information. Marine reserves are additional to detailed
and general marine planning and management, which will continue to operate
and develop outside the reserves. Marine reserves provide essential support
to these management systems, especially by providing insurance and buffers
against ignorance and error.
Marine reserves aim to maintain (or restore) the intrinsic
biodiversity and natural processes. No fishing is permitted nor any removal
of material. No dredging, dumping, construction or any other direct disturbance
is allowed. Within these limits, people are encouraged to view the results
(directly or vicariously) and hence learn the values of natural biodiversity.
The reserves and their rules are permanent.
The known benefits of marine reserves already form a long list and cover a
wide range. More are being discovered at a rapid rate. Many direct benefits
to science, education, conservation, and various forms of recreation are now
well-established. Indirect benefits - to the fishing industry, to tourism,
to resource planning, and to ecosystem health – are steadily becoming
clearer, from empirical data and from modelling. The potential benefits of
marine reserves are universal in scientific and social terms. They are independent
of bio-geographical region and ecological habitat, and also of culture, politics
and economics. Marine reserves can work anywhere.
10% ? - Why this is a miminum size for a marine reserve.
The key point is not the size of particular reserves (or their
number) but the size of the whole network. This size is measured as a proportion
of the whole sea – as a percentage of area. This percentage is maintained
at all scales – regional, ecological, etc., i.e. it feeds back to representation.
The aim is clear, but we do not know with any precision how much is required
to achieve it. General experience suggests that it will be more than 10% and
less than 50%. Even this very broad range is informative. Since some of the
clearest benefits (e.g. to science and education) would require at least 10%,
and provision at that level would greatly assist in gaining more information,
the first stage should aim for at least 10%.
Some questions answered:
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An introduction to marine reserves |
For more information:
Get a copy of the Marine Reserve Education and Action Kit from the University
of Auckland marine laboratory at Leigh, phone (09) 422 6111.
Another useful reference : "Marine Reserves - a guide
for prospective applicants", is available from the Department of
Conservation, phone (09) 307 9279.
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