4 Coastal and Marine Protected Areas
27
which is designed or regulated and managed to achieve specific conservation objectives").
The purposes for which protected areas are established vary considerably, which has
led to the development by mCN of an internationally recognised set of categories and
criteria by which their management objectives can be defined. For example, marine
and coastal protected areas may be established primarily for protecting endangered
species or key breeding and migration sites. In many countries, they also play an important role in sustaining commercially or locally important fisheries, reducing conflict between different user groups, regulating tourism and leisure activities, and providing alternative sources of income to displaced fishermen through the creation of
jobs in the tourism and recreation industries. In practice, many protected areas are
managed for a combination of purposes, often using systems of zoning. Since certain
forms of human use are compatible with some of the main functions of protected areas, in 1994, IUCN revised and approved a new set of categories of protected areas
(mCN 1994; Table 4.1).
Categories I-III are mainly concerned with the protection of natural areas where
direct human intervention and modification of the environment has not occurred or
has been limited; categories IV-VI concern areas with significantly greater intervention and modification. It should be noted that the national names for protected areas
vary greatly and may not reflect the international categorisation e.g. National Parks in
some countries are assigned to category V, rather than category II, as they contain human settlement and extensive resource use. The Lower Saxonian Wadden Sea National
Park will become a category II area, but does not yet qualify and is classified at the
moment by IUCN as category V. IUCN emphasises that all categories are needed for
conservation and sustainable development, and encourages countries to develop protected area systems using the full range of management categories as appropriate.
Categories IV-VI emphasise the principle that sustainable human use can be compatible with many forms of protected area, and indeed may be highly beneficial for the
area. For example, biosphere reserves are in categories V and VI, as their emphasis is on
linking the protection of representative natural areas (in the core zones) with sustainable use and ensuring that local people benefit. By broadening the scope of protected
areas, they are seen as less threatening as they do not imply a complete block on human
activities. However, this can also lead to abuse of the general principles that lie behind
the concept of protected areas. The lack of a clear distinction between 'protection' and
'sustainable use' raises the question of whether significant or even adequate protection
will be provided for biodiversity.
Nevertheless, there is a generally agreed principle that to meet any of the criteria for
designation under one of the IUCN categories, protected areas should exclude industrial-scale activities such as intensive farming and forestry, large-scale mining or large
settlements. In many countries, there is legislation to prohibit oil and gas exploitation
and exploration in certain categories of protected areas. Where human activities are
permitted, these must generally be compatible with the objectives of the protected area
itself, such as traditional exploitation activities, or education and tourism. Human activities of any kind are generally strictly regulated in core zones of multiple-use areas,
and in protected areas categorised under the most strict protection category.
For example, in the north-east Svalbard Nature Reserve in Norway (designated as
category I under the mCN system), construction, mining and other activities that in-
27
which is designed or regulated and managed to achieve specific conservation objectives").
The purposes for which protected areas are established vary considerably, which has
led to the development by mCN of an internationally recognised set of categories and
criteria by which their management objectives can be defined. For example, marine
and coastal protected areas may be established primarily for protecting endangered
species or key breeding and migration sites. In many countries, they also play an important role in sustaining commercially or locally important fisheries, reducing conflict between different user groups, regulating tourism and leisure activities, and providing alternative sources of income to displaced fishermen through the creation of
jobs in the tourism and recreation industries. In practice, many protected areas are
managed for a combination of purposes, often using systems of zoning. Since certain
forms of human use are compatible with some of the main functions of protected areas, in 1994, IUCN revised and approved a new set of categories of protected areas
(mCN 1994; Table 4.1).
Categories I-III are mainly concerned with the protection of natural areas where
direct human intervention and modification of the environment has not occurred or
has been limited; categories IV-VI concern areas with significantly greater intervention and modification. It should be noted that the national names for protected areas
vary greatly and may not reflect the international categorisation e.g. National Parks in
some countries are assigned to category V, rather than category II, as they contain human settlement and extensive resource use. The Lower Saxonian Wadden Sea National
Park will become a category II area, but does not yet qualify and is classified at the
moment by IUCN as category V. IUCN emphasises that all categories are needed for
conservation and sustainable development, and encourages countries to develop protected area systems using the full range of management categories as appropriate.
Categories IV-VI emphasise the principle that sustainable human use can be compatible with many forms of protected area, and indeed may be highly beneficial for the
area. For example, biosphere reserves are in categories V and VI, as their emphasis is on
linking the protection of representative natural areas (in the core zones) with sustainable use and ensuring that local people benefit. By broadening the scope of protected
areas, they are seen as less threatening as they do not imply a complete block on human
activities. However, this can also lead to abuse of the general principles that lie behind
the concept of protected areas. The lack of a clear distinction between 'protection' and
'sustainable use' raises the question of whether significant or even adequate protection
will be provided for biodiversity.
Nevertheless, there is a generally agreed principle that to meet any of the criteria for
designation under one of the IUCN categories, protected areas should exclude industrial-scale activities such as intensive farming and forestry, large-scale mining or large
settlements. In many countries, there is legislation to prohibit oil and gas exploitation
and exploration in certain categories of protected areas. Where human activities are
permitted, these must generally be compatible with the objectives of the protected area
itself, such as traditional exploitation activities, or education and tourism. Human activities of any kind are generally strictly regulated in core zones of multiple-use areas,
and in protected areas categorised under the most strict protection category.
For example, in the north-east Svalbard Nature Reserve in Norway (designated as
category I under the mCN system), construction, mining and other activities that in-