Marine Protected and Conserved 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 protected areas
Marine protected areas
%
Percent of the ocean covered by OECMs
Marine OECMs
%
Percent of the ocean covered by PAs and OECMs
km2
Total area protected (protected areas and OECMs)

Distribution and size of marine protected and conserved areas

The global ocean includes areas within national jurisdiction (National Waters) and those in international waters (Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ)). National waters make up 39% of the global ocean. At present, 23.00% of this area is within protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs). ABNJ make up 61% of the global marine area or nearly half of the Earth’s surface. Currently only 1.45% of this area is within protected areas and OECMs. Located beyond the jurisdiction of any single country, these protected areas and OECMs have been designated and reported to Protected Planet by secretariats of international conventions and frameworks of cooperation on behalf of their member states.

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 and OECM coverage
  • % of ocean that is in national waters

High Seas

  • % of protected area and OECM coverage
  • % of ocean that is High Seas

Growth in marine protected and conserved area coverage

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

The BBNJ Agreement

The ‘Agreement under the United Nations Conventions on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of areas beyond national jurisdiction’, also known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement or simply the ‘BBNJ Agreement’, establishes a co-operative framework for accessing and safeguarding marine biodiversity in ABNJ.

A central objective of the BBNJ Agreement is to establish a comprehensive system of area-based management tools (ABMTs), including ecologically representative and well-connected networks of marine protected areas. The agreement entered into force in January 2026, paving the way for Parties to, individually or collectively, propose marine protected areas and other ABMTs in ABNJ. This presents an opportunity to significantly increase marine conservation beyond national waters. For more information on BBNJ, please visit this site.

Beyond coverage – assessing the effectiveness of marine protected and conserved areas

While the global network of marine protected and conserved areas is expanding, this will only equate to positive impacts for biodiversity if these areas are also well governed and managed.

There are many tools available for assessing the effectiveness of marine protected areas and some of these are also applicable to OECMs. The recently expanded GD-PAME collates information gathered through a range of tools applied at the national and site level. The approaches used are diverse, varying depending on factors including the biodiversity values and objectives of the site, and may include practices guided by traditional knowledge. It is recommended that site managers use the methods that are most appropriate to their national/local contexts. Data on effectiveness can be reported to the GD-PAME regardless of the methods used.

Most assessment methods focus on evaluating the design, management and governance of the site, and/or collecting data on biodiversity values over time, to ascertain effectiveness. An alternative and complementary approach has been developed for the marine realm in the form of the MPA Guide. This tool provides a rapid-assessment approach that helps users to understand what outcomes can be expected, based on the degree to which the site is actively managed (Stage of Establishment) and the activities that are happening in the site (Level of Protection), provided key Enabling Conditions for design, governance and management effectiveness are met. Explore the MPA Guide page (below) for more information.

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.

Explore The MPA Guide

Protected Areas (17,105)

View all

Thematic Areas

Updated

Protected Planet Report 2024

Tracking progress towards global targets for protected and conserved areas.

Explore Report