The Long Run

The Nature Conservancy’s Marine Conservation Agreements Toolkit Provides Practical Information for Protecting Ocean and Coastal Biodiversity

24.10.2009

Over the past several years, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have realised that the creation of formal protected areas may not be sufficient to protect ocean and coastal biodiversity, particularly in areas where rights have already been granted to specific owners and users. To address this, NGOs are increasingly using Marine Conservation Agreements (MCAs) to complement other marine and coastal protection efforts. Marine Conservation Agreements include any formal or informal understanding between two or more parties in which the parties obligate themselves, for an exchange of benefits, to take certain actions, refrain from certain actions, or transfer certain rights and responsibilities to achieve agreed upon ocean or coastal conservation goals.