Vancouver (British Columbia)/CMEDIA: A joint announcement was made today during the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5) by Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, and Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada announcing key developments that continue the momentum towards Canada meeting its ambitious targets of conserving 25 per cent of Canada’s oceans by 2025 and 30 per cent by 2030.
With the realization that Canada’s oceans play an essential role in the lives of Canadians from coast to coast to coast, the Government of Canada is taking action to further protect our oceans, so that future generations can continue our tradition as a proud ocean nation and enjoy the many benefits of healthy marine ecosystems.
To start, 2023 Marine Protected Area (MPA) Protection Standard by unveiled by Canada and endorsed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Parks Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Crown-Indigenous Relations, and Transport Canada.
Building on and clarifying the original 2019 policy, the 2023 protection standard was based on recommendations from the National Advisory Panel on MPA Standards and applies to federal MPAs established since April 25, 2019.
MPAs being an essential part of achieving marine conservation goals, the protection standard will not only help safeguard new federal MPAs from the potentially harmful effects of some industrial activities, but will also provide greater consistency and clarity for industry on activities subject to the standard in federal MPAs.
The MPA Protection Standard which is founded on a whole-of-government approach and prohibits oil and gas exploration, development and production; Mineral exploration and exploitation; Disposal of waste and other matter, dumping of fill, and deposit of deleterious drugs and pesticides; andMobile, bottom contact, trawl or dredge gear. Trap-based fisheries are excluded.
Consultation of procedures with stakeholders of enhanced restrictions on certain vessel discharges that occur within MPAs would be done by Transport Canada .
Besides the protection standard announced today, new details on key areas where it is exploring marine conservation were also released by Canada in support of the ambitious target of conserving 25 per cent of our ocean by 2025.
Although proposed future sites are at different stages of readiness, the Government of Canada is working closely with key partners and stakeholders including provinces and territories, Indigenous governments, organizations across the country in safeguarding our ocean for the future.
As an important step towards the conservation and long-term protection of our marine ecosystems, today’s announcement furthers Canada’s position as a world leader in marine conservation.
#Canada; #MarineConservationTargets
