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Conserve Heritage Resources

Indicators and Protocols for Measuring NMCA Sustainable Use

The Agency does not yet have a structured framework for reporting on the ecological sustainability of national marine conservation areas. Parks Canada’s indicators will be based on its continuing experiences with:

• An initiative sponsored by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature to evaluate the effectiveness of marine protected areas and their management. The Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park is one of the 18 pilot sites in this initiative, and
• The North American Marine Protected Areas Network (Canada, U.S. and Mexico) which is working to develop a concise set of common indicators and monitoring protocols to measure the effectiveness of marine protected areas along the entire Pacific coast of North America.

Every organization, in a number of countries, responsible for this type of protected area is struggling with the development of appropriate protection protocols. Canada is also learning from countries such as New Zealand and Australia and will adapt their experiences to meet the Canadian reality. This work takes time.

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