Marine Protected Areas

Marine protected areas (MPA) are protected areas of seas, oceans, estuaries or in the US, the Great Lakes. These marine areas can come in many forms ranging from wildlife refuges to research facilities. MPAs restrict human activity for a conservation purpose, typically to protect natural or cultural resources. Such marine resources are protected by local, state, territorial, native, regional, national, or international authorities and differ substantially among and between nations. This variation includes different limitations on development, fishing practices, fishing seasons and catch limits, moorings and bans on removing or disrupting marine life (Source: Wikipedia).

海洋保护区（MPA）系指海洋、大洋、河口或在美国，五大湖等地区的受保护区域。此类海洋区域形式多样，从野生动物保护区至研究设施不等。海洋保护区旨在限制人类活动以实现保护目的，通常是为了保护自然或文化资源。此类海洋资源受地方、州、领土、原住民、区域、国家或国际当局的保护，各国间及国家内部存在显著差异。这种差异包括对开发、捕鱼实践、捕鱼季节及捕捞限额、系泊以及禁止移除或破坏海洋生物等方面的不同限制（来源：维基百科）。