Marine reserve

For the United States Marine Corps Reserve see: Marine Forces Reserve

A marine reserve is an area of the sea which has legal protection against fishing or development. This is to be distinguished from a marine park, but there is some overlap in usage. As of April 2008 there are no high seas marine reserves, but Greenpeace is campaigning for the "doughnut holes" of the western pacific to be declared as marine reserves. ^[1] They are campaigning for 40 percent of the world’s oceans to be protected as Marine Reserves. ^[2]

By country

Australia

• Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is the largest marine park, at 350,000 km² and is partially a marine reserve.
• Australian Whale Sanctuary
• Great Australian Bight Marine Park
• Shark Bay Marine Park
• Chagos Marine Reserve is the largest 'no take' marine reserve at over 540,000 km²

U KEWL

See also

• Marine park
• Marine Protected Area

References

1. ^ "The Pacific Commons -- first high seas marine reserve?" (HTML). Greenpeace Australia Pacific. 2007. http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/oceans/marine-reserves/pacific-tuna-need-marine-reserves. Retrieved 2008-04-27. "The Western and Central Pacific Ocean is the world's largest tuna fishery. Over half of the tuna consumed worldwide is taken from this area. Rampant overfishing is destroying this fishery; relatively healthy just a few years ago. Today, two key Pacific species, Bigeye and Yellowfin could face collapse unless urgent action is taken." 
2. ^ "Marine reserves" (HTML). Greenpeace Australia Pacific. 2007. http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/oceans/marine-reserves. Retrieved 2008-04-27. "A growing body of scientific evidence that demonstrates what we at Greenpeace have been saying for a long time: that the establishment of large-scale networks of marine reserves, urgently needed to protect marine species and their habitats, could be key to reversing global fisheries decline." 

External links

• New Zealand Department of Conservation marine reserves
• Greenpeace is calling for a global network of Marine Reserves, check map