About Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)

We depend on the ocean for so much. The challenges facing it affect all of us. It will take every one of us coming together to solve the threats facing our ocean.

When given the chance, our one and only  ocean can heal. It can once again be filled with thriving wildlife and flourishing habitats, where fish, plants, and marine mammals have the opportunity to repopulate and replenish.

That’s why NOPC works to create and support marine protected areas (MPAs) – special places in the ocean that, much like national parks on land, serve as a refuge for the wildlife and habitat, and provide a place for people to experience the awe and renewal of nature. 

MPAs provide refuge to ocean life, giving the ocean a chance to heal from harmful and destructive human activities. Fish of all kinds grow in number and size within their boundaries, and then move to other areas, replenishing the rest of the ocean and strengthening the entire ecosystem. They help ocean wildlife thrive, and help build the ocean’s resilience in the face of climate change. Places that have been given these protections in the past are today thriving and teeming with life. MPAs benefit all of us who rely on the ocean for food, livelihoods, traditions, recreation and economic prosperity, in addition to the air we breathe.

MPAs help our ocean recover and remain healthy into the future. 

Learn more about these important conservation solutions from the resources below.