California legislature calls for more marine protected areas

“Marine protected areas allow us to do for our ocean what we have long done on land: set aside our most amazing and vibrant places to protect nature for future generations of Californians to enjoy,” said Environment California State Director Laura Deehan. “This resolution highlights that, by expanding and strengthening our network of marine protected areas, California can continue to lead the globe in protecting biodiversity. We thank our state leaders for taking up this generational responsibility of protecting our ocean life before it’s too late.”

MPAs, similar to state parks on land, set aside critical ocean habitats from certain types of destructive human activities. California’s state network of MPAs, created over a decade ago under the Marine Life Protection Act, is undergoing its first adaptive management update, which could see the state expand and strengthen protections within the network. Science from around the globe and in California has found that highly- and fully-protected habitats – areas off-limits to most or all destructive human activities – deliver the greatest benefits to the health of marine ecosystems.

“Ventura County, and the whole of California, finds part of its identity from our stunning coastal waters,” said Assemblymember Steve Bennett, the author of the resolution. “We must ensure that the biodiversity, that calls these waters home, is able to thrive for hundreds of years into the future. Expanding marine protections and creating new protected areas in California’s waters will not only advance our state’s conservation goals but also improve ocean recreation and tourism opportunities while building a more resilient fishing industry. ”

California’s coastal wildlife is threatened by the impacts of climate change, oil drilling and plastic pollution. Fish populations are threatened most acutely, due to the additional impact of overfishing. Already, 90% of the world’s large fish, such as sharks and tuna, are gone. Expanding the state’s marine protected areas will allow wildlife to flourish again without the dangers of financial exploitation. Scientific research has proven that MPAs have a spillover effect that helps fish populations recover in and outside the boundaries of a protected area.

“Protecting our ocean is critical to the well-being of our communities. Our recent poll found that 89% of Latinos believe in protecting the environment as a means of protecting their communities, and 85% of Latinos agree that the government should implement the strongest protections for ocean areas,” said Marce Gutiérrez-Graudiņš, founder and executive director of Azul. “By making the ocean healthier and more resilient to climate change, strong marine protections preserve everyone’s ability to enjoy the ocean through a variety of recreational, cultural and educational activities far into the future.”

California’s MPA network boasts 124 separate sectors of ocean on the Pacific coast, but only 12% of state waters are highly or fully protected from human interference. Strengthening the entire network, by adding new MPAs and enhancing protections in existing areas, is the only sure way to secure the critical habitat that houses millions of unique wildlife species and distinguishes the California coast.

“ACR 210 will expand access to wildlife experiences that draw millions of Californians and visitors from all over the world to enjoy our coast,” said Sandy Aylesworth, director of the NRDC’s Pacific Initiative Ocean Division. “ACR 210 provides helpful direction to state agencies to prioritize the creation of new marine protected areas, something 81% of Californians support. We thank Assemblymember Bennett for his leadership in ensuring that California’s 30×30 actions result in conservation solutions that will work.”


https://environmentamerica.org/california/media-center/news-release-california-legislature-calls-for-more-marine-protected-areas/