Marine Protected Areas

The ocean covers over 70% of the Earth’s surface and comprises highly diverse ecosystems. This page summarizes the global status of marine protected areas and presents the most recent official statistics.

Explore marine protected areas How we calculate protected and conserved area coverage
%
Percent of the ocean covered by marine protected areas
Marine Protected Areas
km2
Total area protected

A guide to identifying an MPA's protection level

A science based tool to identify different types of MPAs, this guide connects MPA types with the outcomes they are expected to achieve.

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Distribution of marine protected areas

The global coverage of marine protected areas (MPAs) is 9.79%. The Global Ocean can be divided into areas within national jurisdiction (National Waters) and those in international waters (Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ))

MPAs can be more easily created by governments in national waters where there are dedicated legal systems in place. In ABNJ it is more difficult to create MPAs due to the complex legal framework in place. As such, the percentage of MPAs created within national waters is much higher than that for ABNJ. National waters represent 39% of the global ocean and at present, 23.00% of these waters are designated as protected areas. In contrast, only 1.45% of ABNJ, which makes up the remaining 61% of the global ocean, has been established as protected areas. At present, international discussions are underway to establish ways of simplifying the process to create MPAs in ABNJ. For more information on this, please see the DOALOS website.

National waters and the High Seas

National waters represent an area of coastal water extending out to the limit of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) at 200 nautical miles from the baseline of a coastal state. Coastal states have management jurisdiction over these waters, the resources within them and the resources in/under the seabed.

Marine Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ) are areas of the ocean that are not under the jurisdiction of any one country. Therefore, no individual nation has the sole responsibility for management of these areas. ABNJ includes both the ‘High Seas’ (all parts of the sea that are not included in national waters) and the ‘Area’ (the seabed beyond the limits of national waters). (For more information, see Agreement Under The United Nations Convention On The Law Of The Sea On The Conservation And Sustainable Use Of Marine Biological Diversity Of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction)

National Waters

  • % of Protected Area Coverage
  • % of Ocean that is National waters

High Seas

  • % of Protected Area Coverage
  • % of Ocean that is High Seas

Growth in marine protected area coverage

Over the last several years the number and spatial extent of marine protected areas have increased rapidly.

Protected Areas (17,105)

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Susui

Papa Palauli

Lac Bizerte

Thematic Areas

312,790 Protected Areas

Protected Areas (WDPA)

The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) is the most comprehensive global database on terrestrial and marine protected areas.

21,839 Protected Areas

Protected and Conserved Area Effectiveness (GD-PAME)

Comprising many thousands of assessments of how well a protected area is being managed – primarily the extent to which it is protecting values and achieving goals and objectives.

7,485 OECMs

Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM)

OECMs complement protected areas through sustained, positive conservation outcomes, even though they may be managed primarily for other reasons. They are documented in the World Database on OECMs.

Territories and areas conserved by indigenous peoples and local communities (ICCAs)

The ICCA Registry website is an online information platform for territories and areas conserved by indigenous peoples and local communities (ICCAs), where communities themselves provide data, case studies, maps, photos and stories.

77 Protected Areas

The IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas

The IUCN Green List is a global standard for protected and conserved areas.

Connectivity

Beyond protected and conserved areas what is the contribution of ecological corridors to achieving global conservation goals?

Equitable Governance

Equity relates to how fairly a protected area is governed: who has a say in decisions, how decisions are taken, and how the costs and benefits are shared.

17,105 Protected Areas

Marine Protected Areas

The ocean covers over 70% of the Earth’s surface and comprises highly diverse ecosystems. This page summarizes the global status of marine protected areas and presents the most recent official statistics.
Updated

Protected Planet Report 2024

Tracking progress towards global targets for protected and conserved areas.

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