Expand Canada’s system of marine protected areas
Preamble
WHEREAS Canada is a major maritime nation, having the World’s longest coastline and 7.1 million km2 of coastal waters under various levels of federal jurisdiction, and
WHEREAS the oceans face multiple challenges to their ecological health and sustainability, from the traditional challenges of overfishing and pollution to the novel challenges of ocean warming and ocean acidification brought about by climate change, and
WHEREAS, marine ecosystems are degrading in all of Canada’s oceans due to multiple stressors, in particular overfishing and climate change, and
WHEREAS marine protected areas (MPAs) have many benefits, including the protection of marine species and biological communities, protection of important habitats, restoration of damaged ecosystems and depleted fisheries, provision of secure fish spawning areas, and building resilience against damaging external impacts, such as climate change, and
WHEREAS fully protected marine reserves can result in increased diversity as well as increases in the size, density, and biomass of organisms, with an even greater increase in the biomass of predatory fish, re-accommodating the food web and enhancing ecosystem resilience, and
WHEREAS at the end of 2012, 10% of Canada’s land and freshwater (terrestrial) area was protected, while only 0.7% of its marine territory was being recognized as protected, and
WHEREAS Canada has made national and international commitments to establish a representative network of MPAs, but is lagging far behind many countries in their creation, and
WHEREAS current marine reserves are overwhelmingly located in the Arctic ecoregions, but relatively few are located in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans,
Operative
BE IT RESOLVED that Green Party of Canada will work to implement a substantially expanded network of MPAs in all of Canada’s coastal waters, following best scientific practices and using a bioregional, functional network approach, in consultation with governments, indigenous peoples and scientists, to identify opportunities for the expansion of existing MPAs, as well as areas suitable for the establishment of new ones.
Background
Canada has the world’s longest coastline, spanning three oceans and encompassing approximately 7.1 million square kilometers (km2) of coastal waters under various levels of federal jurisdiction. However, this vast ocean estate is threatened by climate change, ocean acidification brought about by increasing CO2 concentrations, overfishing, and increasing levels of contamination by organic chemicals, nutrients, and plastics.
Marine protected areas (MPAs) can potentially help to mitigate these threats to Canada’s oceans. Canada has several mandates and a national framework for developing a network of marine protected areas (MPAs). As a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Canada has also agreed to a strategic plan calling for 10% of the global ocean to be protected by 2020.
However, Canada’s incremental implementation plan is likely to prove inadequate in the face of the threats noted above. Furthermore, thinning summer ice is likely to open up Arctic waters to shipping and industry in
ways not anticipated by Canada’s original MPA plans. Inadequate federal funding and recent cuts are likely to add to the difficulty of achieving science-based progress in MPA development.
No single policy or nation can address the multiple challenges to the health of our oceans. And it is clear that multilateral action will be needed to address ocean contaminants, open ocean fisheries, and reducing greenhouse gases to address ocean acidification. There are, however, many things that Canada can do to increase the resilience of her ocean estate in the face of inevitable change. One of these is to greatly expand her system of MPAs. Given that the necessary legislative tools are currently in place, Canada has the opportunity and the responsibility to take a leadership role in marine stewardship and protection. Although Canada has 797 MPAs, in 2007, these amounted to less than 1 percent of our territorial waters, and we ranked 70th out of 228 countries in their creation.
Moreover, current MPAs are concentrated in Arctic waters with other marine ecosystems relatively poorly represented.
Code
Proposal Type
Submitter Name
Party Commentary
This motion is consistent with current Green Party environmental policy. The motion is similar to a rescinded policy: 1996 Marine protected areas and with Vision Green policies on Marine protected areas, although it adds more details. However, accepting this motion would formalize Vision Green proposals into official member voted policies.
Preamble
WHEREAS Canada is a major maritime nation, having the World’s longest coastline and 7.1 million km2 of coastal waters under various levels of federal jurisdiction, and
WHEREAS the oceans face multiple challenges to their ecological health and sustainability, from the traditional challenges of overfishing and pollution to the novel challenges of ocean warming and ocean acidification brought about by climate change, and
WHEREAS, marine ecosystems are degrading in all of Canada’s oceans due to multiple stressors, in particular overfishing and climate change, and
WHEREAS marine protected areas (MPAs) have many benefits, including the protection of marine species and biological communities, protection of important habitats, restoration of damaged ecosystems and depleted fisheries, provision of secure fish spawning areas, and building resilience against damaging external impacts, such as climate change, and
WHEREAS fully protected marine reserves can result in increased diversity as well as increases in the size, density, and biomass of organisms, with an even greater increase in the biomass of predatory fish, re-accommodating the food web and enhancing ecosystem resilience, and
WHEREAS at the end of 2012, 10% of Canada’s land and freshwater (terrestrial) area was protected, while only 0.7% of its marine territory was being recognized as protected, and
WHEREAS Canada has made national and international commitments to establish a representative network of MPAs, but is lagging far behind many countries in their creation, and
WHEREAS current marine reserves are overwhelmingly located in the Arctic ecoregions, but relatively few are located in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans,
Operative
BE IT RESOLVED that Green Party of Canada will work to implement a substantially expanded network of MPAs in all of Canada’s coastal waters, following best scientific practices and using a bioregional, functional network approach, in consultation with governments, indigenous peoples and scientists, to identify opportunities for the expansion of existing MPAs, as well as areas suitable for the establishment of new ones.
Sponsors
Background
Canada has the world’s longest coastline, spanning three oceans and encompassing approximately 7.1 million square kilometers (km2) of coastal waters under various levels of federal jurisdiction. However, this vast ocean estate is threatened by climate change, ocean acidification brought about by increasing CO2 concentrations, overfishing, and increasing levels of contamination by organic chemicals, nutrients, and plastics.
Marine protected areas (MPAs) can potentially help to mitigate these threats to Canada’s oceans. Canada has several mandates and a national framework for developing a network of marine protected areas (MPAs). As a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Canada has also agreed to a strategic plan calling for 10% of the global ocean to be protected by 2020.
However, Canada’s incremental implementation plan is likely to prove inadequate in the face of the threats noted above. Furthermore, thinning summer ice is likely to open up Arctic waters to shipping and industry in
ways not anticipated by Canada’s original MPA plans. Inadequate federal funding and recent cuts are likely to add to the difficulty of achieving science-based progress in MPA development.
No single policy or nation can address the multiple challenges to the health of our oceans. And it is clear that multilateral action will be needed to address ocean contaminants, open ocean fisheries, and reducing greenhouse gases to address ocean acidification. There are, however, many things that Canada can do to increase the resilience of her ocean estate in the face of inevitable change. One of these is to greatly expand her system of MPAs. Given that the necessary legislative tools are currently in place, Canada has the opportunity and the responsibility to take a leadership role in marine stewardship and protection. Although Canada has 797 MPAs, in 2007, these amounted to less than 1 percent of our territorial waters, and we ranked 70th out of 228 countries in their creation.
Moreover, current MPAs are concentrated in Arctic waters with other marine ecosystems relatively poorly represented.
Party Commentary
This motion is consistent with current Green Party environmental policy. The motion is similar to a rescinded policy: 1996 Marine protected areas and with Vision Green policies on Marine protected areas, although it adds more details. However, accepting this motion would formalize Vision Green proposals into official member voted policies.