Marine Protected Areas in the United States resources toolkit

A Scientific Synthesis of Marine Protected Areas in the United States: Status and Recommendations

"A Scientific Synthesis of Marine Protected Areas in the United States: Status and Recommendations,” used the groundbreaking new science-based framework “The MPA Guide” to evaluate the country’s 50 largest MPAs—which make up 99.7% of U.S. MPA coverage. Researchers found that important conservation actions have occurred in the U.S., but critical gaps remain. Just 1.9% of the U.S. waters outside the central Pacific benefit from any MPA protections and most of those are only considered lightly or minimally protected. This means that about 98% of waters around the continental US are not protected by any kind of MPA. In total, 26% of U.S. waters are protected in MPAs, and the majority is highly or fully protected. However, over 96 percent of the total U.S. MPA area—and 99 percent the area that is fully or highly protected from extractive and destructive human activities—is located in the central Pacific Ocean.

The analysis represents the first systematic application of The MPA Guide to assess the quantity and quality of the country's marine protections. The Guide uses a variety of criteria based on decades of research in ecosystems around the world to rate areas as fully, highly, lightly, or minimally protected—crucial information as policymakers seek to measure the level of protection currently offered by existing MPAs and develop new and effective MPAs. It also highlights the need to improve equity and other social and ecological conditions for effectiveness.