By DIVE Staff
The government of French Polynesia has announced the creation of a marine protected area (MPA) that will extend around the entirety of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), making it the largest MPA in the world.
The new MPA will cover almost 5 million square kilometres (1.9 million square miles) of the nation’s waters, approximately one-fifth of which will be designated as Class I and Class II MPAs under standards developed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Class I sites are designated as ‘fully protected’, in which all tourist activities and extractive practices including commercial fishing, dredging and deep-sea mining are completely forbidden.
Removal of anything from fully protected areas is allowed only for scientific research or invasive species control, although indigenous artisanal fishing are permitted an exemption as long as it is conducted in accordance with cultural tradition.
Class II – ‘highly protected’ – sites have many of the same restrictions regarding extraction, but sustainable marine tourism is permitted.
IUCN standards for MPAs also stipulate that management of the MPAs has a conservation focus, defined goals, objectives and boundaries, and a management plan which addresses the resources required for the protection to be implemented.
The announcement was made during the recent United Nations Ocean Conference held in Nice, France, by French Polynesia’s president, Moetai Brotherson, and represents an extension of French Polynesia’s 2018 classification of its EEZ as a ‘Marine Managed Area’.
‘We have been managing this EEZ wisely for centuries, using the techniques that were passed on from the generations before us and our ancestors,’ Brotherson told reporters at the conference. ‘But now we wanted to take a bold step to be in line with the international standards of the IUCN.’
‘In French Polynesia, the ocean is much more than a territory,’ he added. ‘It is a source of life, culture, and identity.
‘By strengthening the protection of the Tainui Atea – the existing marine managed area that encompasses all French Polynesian waters – and laying the foundations for the future marine protected areas in the Austral, Marquesas, Gambier, and Society Islands, we are asserting our ecological sovereignty while creating biodiversity sanctuaries for our people and future generations.’
The fully protected areas will be created as an artisanal fishing zone that extends 15 nautical miles (28km) from the Austral, Marquesas, and Gambier islands and up to 30 nautical miles from the Society Islands, an area of 186,000 sq km (72,000 sq mi).
Combined with the highly protected areas, the total reach of the most protected areas will cover 1,086,000 square km (420,000 sq mi) – about twice the size of France.
‘This is an extraordinary achievement and a globally significant contribution to the protection of our One Ocean,’ said Dr Grethel Aguilar, IUCN Director General.
‘By prioritising biodiversity, traditional knowledge, and future generations, French Polynesia has set a new standard for leadership in marine conservation.
‘These commitments show that small Island territories can have a massive impact on global sustainability.’
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