Summary
Pacific Island nation of Kiribati is the world's largest marine protected area of coral reefs and fish populations which are both threatened by climate change and overfishing. To prevent this, the Phoenix Islands Protected area conserves two submerged reef systems and underwater mountains over 415,000 square kilometers of nearly uninhabited islands with abundant marine and birdlife. Also it is the world's last intact coral reef archipelago ecosystems with eight coral reefs.
These areas are protected and named the Marine Protected Areas (MPA) whose boundaries can include some of the ocean. It's a wide range of areas that restrict human activity to protect cultural, non-living, living, and historic resources. Such limits are fishing gear types, catch limits, fishing seasons, development, moorings, to complete bans on removing life of any kind.
This is also established to protect a certain sepcies, to benefit fisheries, nursing grounds for fish or to protect entire ecosystems, rare habitats, and protect historical sites to preserve something like a shipwreck.
Some areas that are named as MPAs are Great Barrier Reef, which is one of the largest ones, and the small one called Area Marina Protetta Capo Rizzuto.
These areas have plans for the future, such as:
USA — California 29 with MPAs covering 18% of state marine area.
Guam - 30% of nearby marine ecosystem by 2020
Pacific Island nation of Kiribati is the world's largest marine protected area of coral reefs and fish populations which are both threatened by climate change and overfishing. To prevent this, the Phoenix Islands Protected area conserves two submerged reef systems and underwater mountains over 415,000 square kilometers of nearly uninhabited islands with abundant marine and birdlife. Also it is the world's last intact coral reef archipelago ecosystems with eight coral reefs.
These areas are protected and named the Marine Protected Areas (MPA) whose boundaries can include some of the ocean. It's a wide range of areas that restrict human activity to protect cultural, non-living, living, and historic resources. Such limits are fishing gear types, catch limits, fishing seasons, development, moorings, to complete bans on removing life of any kind.
This is also established to protect a certain sepcies, to benefit fisheries, nursing grounds for fish or to protect entire ecosystems, rare habitats, and protect historical sites to preserve something like a shipwreck.
Some areas that are named as MPAs are Great Barrier Reef, which is one of the largest ones, and the small one called Area Marina Protetta Capo Rizzuto.
These areas have plans for the future, such as:
USA — California 29 with MPAs covering 18% of state marine area.
Guam - 30% of nearby marine ecosystem by 2020
Jamaica -20% of marine habitats by 2020.
Great Barrier Reef
Opinion/Reflection
In my opinion, MPAs are really important to many areas that are being threatened around the world. I am glad some people finally came up with a set of laws and restrictions to protect certain species and to preserve endangered areas. People might think that it's not fair to have such strict laws such as limit to number of fishes people are able to catch, use of fishing gears, etc. However, without these laws, these reef systems might not be seen in our world today if it wasn't for the establishment of MPAs. Since the ecosystem was set up before the human activities interfered, the native species deserve to have a chance to rebuild itself to become a stronger habitat for its species. Plans have been already made and people are hoping to see these areas to be recovered after few years and I hope the areas improve than they are now.
Questions
1) Does having restrictions fair for humans? Is it neccesary or unnecessary? Why or why not?
2)Do you think the predictions will become true for countries like Jamaica, United States, and Guam? Why or why not?
3) This should have been going on for a long time, but why aren't there big differences in the endangered reef systems that are marine protected?
Questions
1) Does having restrictions fair for humans? Is it neccesary or unnecessary? Why or why not?
2)Do you think the predictions will become true for countries like Jamaica, United States, and Guam? Why or why not?
3) This should have been going on for a long time, but why aren't there big differences in the endangered reef systems that are marine protected?
Opinion/ Reflection
ReplyDeleteI think it is great that we are adding more and more MPAs. We should have a lot considereding what we are losing. Animals are vital to the biosystem. Sure we won't be able to eat fish from that area, but it is not that big of a price. Years later, when the fish population recover, we will be able to eat them later.
1. I do not think the price for the MPAs are too big. Humans don't depend on fish to survive. We have other meats. We can live without that specific species. Maybe ten or twenty years from now, that species will recover and we can eat as many fish as wanted.
Here is a link to an article that talks about how MPAs are proven to work.
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/10/24/18662226.php
I have never heard of an area called a MPA. It is interesting that the native organisms are still some what living there. Even though the human activity is still present, I hope the native organisms in the MPA survive and thrive in the area. I would like to see all the exotic birds and wildlife. Since it is the last intact coral reef archipelago ecosystems, we should try to save the area for the future generations.
ReplyDelete1) I think that having restrictions in the area is fair because the fishermen can fish somewhere else. There are a lot of other places to fish instead of the area where there are exotic fish that are native to the old reef. Why would you fish for a lot of fish where people are trying to save them? It is necessary to have these restrictions because like Jenny said, we wouldn't have these wildlife if we didn't have these restrictions years before. The restrictions keep the fish alive and safer.
This is a link to a picture of fish in the MPA.
This is also a site where there are more information.
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2009/20090923_mpa.html
I agree with Jenny, I think the MPA's are very important. It is great that they are protecting endangered areas. It really stinks that so many of these areas are endangered. I feel bad for the animals that live there, and how they have to deal with this problem. I really hope they get this problem under control so these areas aren't endangered any more.
ReplyDelete1. Having restrictions for humans isn't that fair, most things aren't fair, but these restrictions are important. They were made to protect endangered areas and the organisms that live in them. The restrictions are definetly neccesary because they are protecting endangered areas. I really hope they continue to use the MPA's to protect endangered areas.
Personally, I believe that the MPA's are extremely important to the conservation of many aquatic species and reefs. It is one of my goals in life to dive at the Great Barrier Reef and I would hate to see it polluted and destroyed before I would be able to do so.
ReplyDelete1) Yes having restrictions is fair to humans and is necessary. Without laws forbidding overfishing or polluting these areas humans would continue to do so. I really hope that the MPA's work and that the areas stay protected.