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Forest & Bird » Marine and Coastal

1. Kirstie
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   News today that Vietnam is to establish 11 more marine protected areas:

   http://english.vovnews.vn/Home/Vietnam-to-establish-11-more-marine-protected-areas/200912/110381.vov

   Shame the same can't be said of New Zealand - whose Marine Reserve and MPA implementation work seems to have gone sour.

   Vietnam will set up 11 new marine protected areas (MPA) from now to 2015 so that MPAs will cover 0.24 percent of the country’s total sea area, according to an MPA development plan for the 2010-2020 period.

   At a seminar held in Nha Trang city, south central Khanh Hoa province, on November 30, the Department of Fisheries Resources Management presented a list of the planned MPAs.
   Between 2016-2020, the department will focus on improving the legal documents and development plans regarding MPAs, as well as the capacity of officials involved in the field.

   The department will also try to zone up five more MPAs in this period.

   Vietnam currently has four MPAs situated in Nha Trang bay, on Con Co island in Quang Tri province, Cham isle in Quang Nam province and Phu Quoc island in Kien Giang province.

   Posted 1 year ago #

2. auckland anne
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   I heard not too long ago that DoC in Auckland (?) had been told to pull back from advocating for marine reserves (or management of existing ones??) in the Hauraki Gulf, and assume this was a nation-wide thing?

   Posted 1 year ago #

3. Kirstie
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   Unfortunately it is a nation-wide thing Anne. Last year both the Ministry of Fisheries and Department of Conservation were told to freeze their wok on marine reserves and other marine protected areas.

   The rationale was that they needed to consider the results of the two regional forums - Auckland Island and West Coast MPA proposals - before moving forward:

   http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/what-we-do/campaigns/we-love-marine-reserves/subantarctic-islands
   http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/what-we-do/campaigns/we-love-marine-reserves/marine-protection-west-coast-the-south-island

   This is extremely frustrating as many regional groups are prepared and want to move forward now.

   Forest & Bird is urging our branches and wider members and supports to start these discussions in your regions NOW. In particular, if there is anyone out there with GIS / spatial planning skills, who has time to volunteer with this issue, we'd love to hear from you. These skills will be very helpful with on-the-ground planning and liaison with other groups - fishers, aquaculture farmers, boaties, divers etc. then again there is the good ol pen n paper - especially if it allow progress!

   Posted 1 year ago #

4. black tomtit
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   Interestingly it appears to be the poor countries that are leading the world with protecting the environment. Vietnam suffered terribly from the ecological destruction caused by the war in the 1960s and this must have made them want to do something to protect their environment. We in NZ have never experienced a huge attack by a massive superpower armed with chemical weapons so we think pollution is something thats only found in the Northern Hemisphere. When are we going to relise that the whole world is like an island and what affects the environment up there will eventually affect it down here.

   Posted 1 year ago #

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