Brussels, 01/10/2015 (Agence Europe) - By the end of 2012, EU member states had designated 5.9% of their seas marine protected areas (MPAs) and the European network of MPAs continues to expand, states a European Commission report published on Thursday 1 October.
This progress report to the European Parliament and the Council of the EU on establishing marine protected areas, as required by the EU marine strategy framework directive (2008/56/EC) is very encouraging. Nevertheless more should be done to reduce the pressure on marine habitats and species.
Improving management of the MPAs and consistent application of the legislation are now the two major challenges to be met, the Commission states.
This, indeed, is the recommendation also formulated by the European Environment Agency (EEA) in a report published the same day. This report, “Marine protected areas in Europe's seas - an overview and perspectives for the future”, emphasises that Europe must implement a more holistic approach to MPA design, management and evaluation.
The EEA says that, with better implementation of existing legislation across Europe's seas and more effective management, MPA networks could play a crucial role in reversing systemic changes observed in Europe's seas, helping to halt biodiversity loss, achieve clean, healthy and biologically diverse seas, and secure sustainability.
The EEA stresses, too, that, to assess the effectiveness of EU MPA networks, information sources need to be better harmonised, science-based evaluation criteria need to be developed, and operational objectives need to be formulated.
The other messages from the EEA analysis are: - EU MPA networks cannot yet be considered representative or ecologically coherent; - the Natura 2000 network is the cornerstone of MPAs in Europe, and although the network at sea is not yet complete, it is considered a success: it spans the marine territory of 23 countries and covers more than 4% of Europe's seas; - the four Regional Seas Conventions (covering the Baltic Sea; the North-east Atlantic Ocean; the Mediterranean Sea; and the Black Sea) are good platforms for developing and implementing an ecosystem-based approach to the designation and management of MPAs; - some EU member states have designated additional MPAs under national legislation to better ensure representativeness and ecological coherence. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)