Coral Reefs

Marine protected areas are regarded as one of the best strategies to conserve coral reef habitats and their biodiversity. Until recently the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park was the only large coral reef MPA in the world with a marine area of 344,400 km2, 33.5% of which is designated as a no-take zone (i.e. no fishing permitted). Then in 2006 two more large scale no-take coral reef MPAs were declared; The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, an area of 184,700 km2 in Northwestern Hawaiian Islands was upgraded to no-take status. The Phoenix Islands Protected Area was declared in 2007 covering an area of 184,700 km2. Most recently in 2010 the British government designated The Chagos Archipelago a full no-take MPA making The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) the world's largest MPA. The challenge remains now to effectively manage these reserves so that the MPAs are effective tools in helping to protect coral reef biodiversity and habitats.

Community based Marine Protected Areas (CB MPAs) are normally small-scale marine protected areas are useful tools in rural coastal communities because they help establish local rules and responsibilities for use of local resources and collective management of those resources. CB-MPAs are often established with the goal of restoring or protecting the fisheries and coastal resources in an area known to have important ecological functions. CB-MPAs help control fishing effort, protect breeding grounds and juvenile fishes, guard against overfishing and ensure a sustainable supply of fish stock for local populations. CB-MPAs are mainly used as a management tool for fisheries but they can also be utilized as a tool for tourism. CB-MPAs can provide revenue for local communities through snorkelling and diving operations in the area which gives the local communities an extra incentive to protect their reefs.

CB MPAs are particularly popular management tool in the Philippines, for instance The Project Seahorse Foundation has to date set up a network of 33 CB MPAs on the Danajon double barrier reef, one of only 5 in the world, to help alleviate the huge pressures on the reefs.