Marine protected areas alone won’t solve conservation problems

June 8, 2005 -

VANCOUVER – The federal government’s plan to establish marine protected areas in Canada’s oceans is a good first step, but it won’t solve the ongoing threats posed by overfishing or pollution, says the David Suzuki Foundation.
 
"Establishing protected areas in our oceans is a great start," says Bill Wareham, acting director of marine conservation for the David Suzuki Foundation. "But marine parks alone won’t reverse the damage that has already been done or ensure sustainable oceans for the long term."
 
Marine protected areas are widely recognized as an essential element of a sustainable marine use planning process, but they cannot be the end point. Globally, experience shows that successful ocean management requires a commitment to the ecosystem as a whole.
 
Conservation groups recognize that all levels of government are essential to make marine-use planning work. The David Suzuki Foundation is calling on provincial and territorial governments from sea to sea to sea to commit to full support and implementation of ecosystem-based marine plans.
 
"What has been announced today is essentially a plan for a network of marine parks," says Mr. Wareham. "Unfortunately, without a comprehensive oceans action plan, destructive activities will continue all around these areas – aquaculture, overfishing, and destructive bottom trawling, to name a few. The challenge is to address all of these problems in the long term."
 
For more information, contact:
Jennifer Brown
Communications Specialist
David Suzuki Foundation
(604) 732-4228, ext. 229