337
5
Role of Marine
Protected Areas
5.1
Biodiversity, Production, or
Exploitation?
Although the need for the creation of MPAs has
been expressed formally for years (UNESCO
1996 ), it should be made clear whether the MPAs
are intended only to protect biodiversity – with a
conservation project – or whether their role is to
promote species to be used in adjacent areas or
even within the seventh or sixth type of MPA,
with moderate catches that do not impair the ecological balance in the zone (Berque and Matsuda
2013 ). In this area, the traditions established in
the fi shing cooperatives in Japanese coastal
villages – sato-umi – (Yanagi 2007 , 2008 ) lead to
improvements and friendly management of natural environments.
Strong political trends exist towards spatial
planning of sea areas engaged in economic activities in shared marine space, e.g. tourism, transport, various extractions, offshore wind turbines,
etc. As part of the International Marine Protected
Areas Congress (IMPAC 3), Environment
Ministers from 20 countries wanted to prioritize
the objectives of nature conservation.
This choice is important because it is essential
to know the fl ow of living species (adults, juveniles, or larvae) and dissolved or particulate matter that are driven by ocean currents in MPAs.
It is equally important to also assess the fl ow
coming out of MPAs, living and/or non-living so
they form the basis of populations then removed by
fi shermen (Parrish 1999 ; White and Kendal 2007 ).
Although the need for rational management
will exist for several years ( Salm et al. 2000 ), the
ratings are less well known than in terrestrial
environments where observations are much easier (Larrieu and Gonin 2009 ). Future observations will require means that are only beginning
to exist, in terms of sensors, observation devices,
meters, integrators, and means of calculation and
modeling.
5.2
Are Marine Protected Areas
the Best Solution to Preserve
Biodiversity?
The basic idea is that, usually, mankind destroys
species for its use, thereby changing the ecosystem by removing food or other species.
Unfortunately, people most often impoverish the
environments in which they operate; MPAs are
intended to restore the initial conditions, which is
deemed to be the best way to proceed.
However, we envisage a very different
approach to act positively in MPAs: the installation of passive structures, rich in nutrients, to
move towards the surface sea waters of the bottom to help increase the productivity of coastal
waters and biological production of the area
(Yanagi and Nakajima 1991 ; Yanagi 2007 ).
Moreover, advances in the technology of artifi cial reefs that copy and enhance this ‘engineering of nature’ creates natural habitats that
encourage marine organisms and provide more
opportunities for survival and development.
We think we can make better use of the
increase in natural production in the volume of
water of the area and its sea fl oors, and the
amount and characteristics of marine habitats,
thereby increasing the number of fi lter particles
in the photic zone. It is also possible to establish
a large number of shelters for larval stages and
juveniles usually present in the ecological conditions of the areas considered.
In the nineteenth century, French zoologists
such as Antoine Fortuné Marion proposed the
establishment of rocks on sandy–muddy coastal
fl oors near Marseille to increase the number of
rockfi sh. A further recent development has been
achieved in Marseille with the outstanding operation ‘Reefs Prado’ (Récifs Prado), part of
which is available for artisan fi shing; another
part is not and in fact plays the role of an
MPA. We could give many other examples. This
concept can be multiplied, and the countless
fi elds of various artifi cial reefs settled along the
coast of Japan is one of the fi nest examples in
the world.
Limits of the Concepts of Marine Protected Areas: Adaptation of Human Populations…
5
Role of Marine
Protected Areas
5.1
Biodiversity, Production, or
Exploitation?
Although the need for the creation of MPAs has
been expressed formally for years (UNESCO
1996 ), it should be made clear whether the MPAs
are intended only to protect biodiversity – with a
conservation project – or whether their role is to
promote species to be used in adjacent areas or
even within the seventh or sixth type of MPA,
with moderate catches that do not impair the ecological balance in the zone (Berque and Matsuda
2013 ). In this area, the traditions established in
the fi shing cooperatives in Japanese coastal
villages – sato-umi – (Yanagi 2007 , 2008 ) lead to
improvements and friendly management of natural environments.
Strong political trends exist towards spatial
planning of sea areas engaged in economic activities in shared marine space, e.g. tourism, transport, various extractions, offshore wind turbines,
etc. As part of the International Marine Protected
Areas Congress (IMPAC 3), Environment
Ministers from 20 countries wanted to prioritize
the objectives of nature conservation.
This choice is important because it is essential
to know the fl ow of living species (adults, juveniles, or larvae) and dissolved or particulate matter that are driven by ocean currents in MPAs.
It is equally important to also assess the fl ow
coming out of MPAs, living and/or non-living so
they form the basis of populations then removed by
fi shermen (Parrish 1999 ; White and Kendal 2007 ).
Although the need for rational management
will exist for several years ( Salm et al. 2000 ), the
ratings are less well known than in terrestrial
environments where observations are much easier (Larrieu and Gonin 2009 ). Future observations will require means that are only beginning
to exist, in terms of sensors, observation devices,
meters, integrators, and means of calculation and
modeling.
5.2
Are Marine Protected Areas
the Best Solution to Preserve
Biodiversity?
The basic idea is that, usually, mankind destroys
species for its use, thereby changing the ecosystem by removing food or other species.
Unfortunately, people most often impoverish the
environments in which they operate; MPAs are
intended to restore the initial conditions, which is
deemed to be the best way to proceed.
However, we envisage a very different
approach to act positively in MPAs: the installation of passive structures, rich in nutrients, to
move towards the surface sea waters of the bottom to help increase the productivity of coastal
waters and biological production of the area
(Yanagi and Nakajima 1991 ; Yanagi 2007 ).
Moreover, advances in the technology of artifi cial reefs that copy and enhance this ‘engineering of nature’ creates natural habitats that
encourage marine organisms and provide more
opportunities for survival and development.
We think we can make better use of the
increase in natural production in the volume of
water of the area and its sea fl oors, and the
amount and characteristics of marine habitats,
thereby increasing the number of fi lter particles
in the photic zone. It is also possible to establish
a large number of shelters for larval stages and
juveniles usually present in the ecological conditions of the areas considered.
In the nineteenth century, French zoologists
such as Antoine Fortuné Marion proposed the
establishment of rocks on sandy–muddy coastal
fl oors near Marseille to increase the number of
rockfi sh. A further recent development has been
achieved in Marseille with the outstanding operation ‘Reefs Prado’ (Récifs Prado), part of
which is available for artisan fi shing; another
part is not and in fact plays the role of an
MPA. We could give many other examples. This
concept can be multiplied, and the countless
fi elds of various artifi cial reefs settled along the
coast of Japan is one of the fi nest examples in
the world.
Limits of the Concepts of Marine Protected Areas: Adaptation of Human Populations…