FOCUS AREA marine protected areas.
Marine protected areas are one of the most important and effective tools for marine conservation and therefore also for shark conservation.
Support ProjectsDid you know?
8.2 %
of the ocean are protected areas. Only 3% are considered highly protected.
30 %
marine protected areas by 2030 is the target set by the international community.
MPAs are essential for the successful protection of sharks and their ecosystem. Coastal MPAs are easier to implement and monitor and are therefore more efficient. However, there is still a large gap between the goals set and the reality today. With your support, SHARKPROJECT will do everything in its power to ensure that 30 % marine protected areas become a reality by 2030.
Problem
Commercial fishing is not only limited to the high seas but occurs in coastal areas as well. Additionally, small-scale fisheries often pose a substantial risk to shark species, many of which are threatened by extinction already.
Marine coastal areas are crucial habitats. Certain species spend their entire life cycle in coastal regions, and some oceanic species rely on coastal habitats for feeding or certain life stages like reproduction, during which the shark is particularly vulnerable to external impacts.
Solution
To efficiently protect all shark species, we urgently need to increase the size of protected areas. So far, only 6.3 % of national waters (EEZs) are protected, leaving the majority open to harmful practices such as unsustainable fishing, unregulated tourism, and other destructive industries.
SHAKRPROJECT is participating in international campaigns addressing this topic. Together with other organizations we support the “30 % by 30” with the long-term goal of protecting at least 30% of our ocean worldwide by 2030. Besides this aspiration, SHARKPROJECT is actively seeking opportunities to foster MPAs on national and international jurisdictions (such as at the EU-level)
We further demand an increase in fully protected areas and the complete ban of destructive practices such as bottom-trawling, deep sea fishing and extraction of fossil fuel within MPAs.
Act together for shark conservation you can help!
We rely on your support in order to continue our voluntary work for highly protected MPAs.
Become active yourself or help us with your donation.
Our Approach What SHARKPROJECT wants to achieve
While we call for urgent action, the establishment and selection of MPAs needs to follow rigorous scientific guidelines and recommendations.
MPAs are most effective in areas where high pressure from human activities coincides with the presence of endangered species and/or the presence of habitats of special importance. Conservation measures have the highest impact in such areas.
SHARKPROJECT therefore uses its available resources, knowledge, and networks to fund and support scientific initiatives that seek to identify areas of special importance, improve the observation and management of existing MPAs and/or seek to establish new protected areas in coastal areas.
Successes
Prevention of oil-drilling in Bazaruto National Park in Mozambique.
Identification of potential nursery area in Gulf of California (Mexico).
Projects, Campaigns and Initiatives
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Contact
your contact person Jan Bierwirth
If you have any questions about the topic of 'marine protected areas' or would like to know how you can best support us, please feel free to contact Jan from SHARKPROJECT directly.
your contact person Thomas Gahr
If you have any questions about the topic of 'marine protected areas' or would like to know how you can best support us, please feel free to contact Thomas from SHARKPROJECT directly.
Act together for shark conservation you can help!
