Protected Areas in Marine Ecosystem

Marine ecosystems encompass around 70% of the earth's surface and contribute significantly to human well-being by giving social, economic, and environmental advantages to the world's growing population. Marine ecosystems provide a variety of different services that are crucial for human well-being, in addition to being a major source of food, income, and employment. Coastal protection, marine biodiversity, and carbon sequestration are among them. Human activities, on the other hand, place diverse stresses on marine ecosystems, which are predicted to increase, resulting in cumulative impacts on marine ecosystems and biodiversity. As a result, significant efforts have been made around the world to create marine protected areas (MPAs) in order to safeguard and preserve biodiversity, as well as natural and cultural resources. They're usually made by designating zones and prescribing permissible and prohibited activities within those zones. MPAs include the Open Ocean, coastal areas, intertidal zones, and estuaries, among other habitats. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which established the worldwide framework for marine governance in 1982, obligated all governments to protect and conserve the marine environment. In 2000, MPAs covered 0.7% of the Ocean; since then, MPA coverage has increased by more than tenfold to 7.68%. The MPA network will need to be ecologically representative, equitably and efficiently maintained, and of particular importance for ecosystem services in order to meet the aim.

Keywords: Marine Ecosystems, Protected Areas, Human Activities, Cumulative Effects, Biodiversity, Effective Management.