1998 Year of the Ocean Ocean Living Resources 



protect unique and/or ecologically significant resources; 



• 



provide a living "laboratory" against which to test the effectiveness of management 

 measures; 



• enrich and form a critical link among nations' food supplies; 



• attract revenue-generating tourism activities; and 



• provide potential future benefits from marine biotechnology development. 



Marine protected areas provide one key tool for the protection, conservation, and restoration of 

 coastal and marine habitats (and their biodiversity) in which multiple uses and demands can be 

 balanced. 



The United States has been a leader in establishing areas within its maritime jurisdiction 

 designed to protect and conserve the biological resources of its marine and coastal regions. The 

 National Marine Sanctuary Program was established under legislation because "this Nation 

 historically has recognized the importance of protecting special areas of its public domain" 

 (Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972). Under this legislation, the Sanctuary 

 Program identifies, designates, and manages areas of national significance with respect to 

 conservation, research, recreational, ecological, historical, educational, or aesthetic qualities. The 

 program administers 12 sites nationally, with two more in development. The primary goal of the 

 National Marine Sanctuaries is to protect biodiversity, biological productivity, cultural resources, 

 and areas of pristine condition. In addition, a number of national parks, seashores, and 

 monuments throughout U.S. coastal regions are administered by the National Park Service, and 

 even more areas are managed by the states. In the Caribbean region, the United States has 

 worked toward the adoption of the Specially Protected Areas of Wildlife Protocol,"* which 

 promotes the concept of protected areas within the region. The concepts applied by the U.S. Man 

 and the Biosphere in the Biosphere Reserve Program offer an ideal setting for coordination, 

 cooperation, and interdisciplinary research in fostering harmonious relationships between 

 humans and the biosphere. 



The 1987 amendments to the Clean Water Act have also served to enhance marine 

 species protection efforts through the establishment of the National Estuary Program. Unlike 

 traditional regulatory approaches, the National Estuary Program focuses on protecting not just 

 water quality or individual species, but whole ecosystems. It also engages local communities in 

 protecting estuaries and the species that inhabit them, and requires stakeholders to create a 

 comprehensive conservation and management plan for long-term protection of these resources. 

 Currently, 28 National Estuary Programs are working to safeguard the health of some of the 

 nation's most important coastal waters. A second program, the National Estuarine Research 



^The United States has not yet ratified the SPAW Protocol. 



C-32 



