Video: How marine reserves can restore the health of the world's oceans
Large-scale marine reserves are areas that are closed to all extractive uses, such as fishing and mining, as well as disposal activities. Within these areas there may be core zones where no human activities are allowed, for instance areas that act as scientific reference areas or areas where there are particularly sensitive habitats or species.
Marine reserves can benefit nearby fisheries - both from the 'spillover' of adult and juvenile fish beyond the reserve boundaries and through the export of eggs and larvae. Inside the reserves, populations increase in size and individuals live longer, grow larger and reproduce more successfully.
Marine reserves could even benefit highly migratory species like sharks, tuna and billfish, if we create reserves in places where they are currently highly vulnerable: nursery grounds, spawning sites or seamounts, for example.
Some areas within the coastal zone may be opened to small-scale, non-destructive fisheries providing that these are sustainable, within ecological limits, and have been decided upon with the full participation of affected local communities.
Marine Reserves (MRs) are not just about overfishing - even if one of the primary reasons for creating MRs is preserving fish stocks. They are increasingly seen as an essential global tool to protect the marine environment, including from pollution - caused particularly by the disposal of wastes (radioactive wastes, munitions and carbon dioxide).
Greenpeace has been campaigning for Marine Reserves for years. Globally we are campaigning for a network of reserves covering 40 percent of the world's oceans.
You can read a detailed explanation of why these reserves are essential in our report, the Roadmap to Recovery. Here in the UK our focus is on providing similar levels of protection for the North Sea and other UK and European waters.
Since we began to campaign on this the political acceptance of the need for protection for our oceans' wildlife has grown, and increasingly politicians are being supportive of the need for Marine Reserves. The political landscape has changed too: the US has created a large Marine Reserve near Hawaii; and the European Parliament has agreed its Marine Strategy Directive with provisions for fully protected reserve areas. Closer to home the UK government passed its Marine Bill in late 2009 - new legislation that could create a network of Marine Reserves in UK waters.
In Europe we now have a real opportunity to make Marine Reserves happen, and we must do all we can to make sure that our politicians deliver a large-scale network of fully-protected Marine Reserves through European and national legislation.
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