Big marine parks 'save money and oceans'

9:07 AM Tue 19 Apr 2011 GMT

'Healthy reef. Photo courtesy of Mia Hoogenboom' ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies &copy Click Here to view large photo

Big marine protected areas (MPAs) are cheaper to manage per hectare than small ones, and no-fishing zones are cheaper to manage than multiple-use zones, a new study has found. 'Management costs are rarely taken into account in MPA design,' say Dr Natalie Ban and colleagues, in an article in the latest edition of the journal Conservation Letters. 'However it is important to budget for them effectively, so we can be sure the long term goals of the park are achieved.' The world has an estimated 5000 marine protected areas covering 2.85 million square kilometres of ocean - but due to ...

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by ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies