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Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are an important tool for protecting and conserving marine ecosystems and their associated services in the long term.\u00a0However, MPAs require proper management to achieve their conservation\u00a0objectives.<\/p>\nMarine Protected Areas (MPAs) are an important tool for protecting and conserving marine ecosystems and their associated services in the long term.\u00a0However, MPAs require proper management to achieve their conservation\u00a0objectives.<\/p>\n
In our new\u00a0position paper<\/a>, we explain how Member States should make their pledges to meet the targets of the 2030 EU Biodiversity Strategy to achieve healthy and resilient seas.<\/p>\n Marine\u00a0and coastal\u00a0environments contain diverse habitats hosting and supporting an abundance of marine life, and\u00a0provide a range of\u00a0fundamental\u00a0ecosystem services such as fisheries, coastal protection,\u00a0recreation, tourism,\u00a0and carbon sequestration and storage. However,\u00a0they\u00a0are\u00a0particularly vulnerable to biodiversity\u00a0loss\u00a0and\u00a0climate\u00a0change, which further\u00a0exacerbates the impact of other drivers of\u00a0the\u00a0biodiversity\u00a0crisis.<\/p>\n Europe\u2019s seas are among the most overexploited in the world and are currently in a poor state. Around 65<\/strong>%<\/strong>\u00a0of protected seabed habitats\u00a0are\u00a0in unfavourable conservation status, and\u00a087% of fish stocks\u00a0in the Western Mediterranean\u00a0are\u00a0currently\u00a0overfished and at risk of depletion. In EU waters,\u00a0it is estimated\u00a0that\u00a0more than 200,000 seabirds are bycaught in fishing gears\u00a0each year. Destructive fishing\u00a0practices\u00a0have contributed to the vanishing of most of\u00a0the\u00a0seafloors and continental shelf\u2019s rich biodiversity.\u00a0In addition, rapidly expanding human activities such as the development of offshore wind infrastructures are adding to the existing pressures on the marine environment.<\/p>\n Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are an important tool for protecting and conserving marine ecosystems and their associated services in the long term.\u00a0<\/strong>However, MPAs require proper management to achieve their conservation objectives.<\/strong>\u00a0The effective management\u00a0of a network of protected areas needs to go hand in glove with\u00a0the sustainable management of the entire marine area. This\u00a0calls for the implementation of\u00a0ecosystem-based marine spatial planning\u00a0to redirect activities away from highly sensitive\u00a0and protected areas by identifying areas of highest and least environmental constraint. This will contribute to strengthening ocean resilience, especially in the face of climate change.<\/p>\n In addition,\u00a0considering\u00a0the current degraded state of the marine environment,\u00a0conservation and protection of the remaining ecosystems are not sufficient\u00a0to halt biodiversity loss anymore. Action is needed to restore ecosystems,\u00a0improve their\u00a0health and resilience, strengthen ecosystem services, and put biodiversity on course to recovery<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Existing EU legislation such as the\u00a0Birds Directive, the Habitats Directive and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive\u00a0<\/strong>have already kickstarted this process, but lack of implementation and poor enforcement have impeded effective conservation.\u00a0The EU 2030 Biodiversity Strategy represents a key opportunity to halt and reverse biodiversity loss at sea by increasing the EU protected sea area to at least 30%, with at least 10% being strictly protected, and ensure the effectivity of the protection, management and enforcement of all protected areas.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Furthermore, the\u00a0future proposal for legally binding EU nature restoration targets can be a game changer for large-scale restoration of habitats and ecosystem functioning, connectivity, and resilience at the seascape level<\/strong>. Restoration of marine habitats can be of tremendous service to climate mitigation and adaptation efforts, provide significant social and economic benefits, such as the creation of sustainable jobs for local communities or recreation opportunities, and contribute to improved human health and wellbeing through the provision of vital ecosystem services.<\/p>\n