A guide for planners and managers - IUCN

– Management plans for
lagoons/estuaries will
inevitably be based on limited
data and should be
accompanied by detailed
research programmes.
– The protected area manager
should have a thorough
knowledge of the physical,
chemical, and biological
parameters of the estuarine
ecosystem and should participate
in research in the field.
PART II
Protected Areas for Lagoons and Estuaries
6. A larger lagoon/estuarine
wetlands area clearly has greater
potential to support higher numbers of waterfowl, reptiles, and mammals.
Management should extend over the largest possible wetlands area. This may be
done through multiple use
FIGURE II-26.
management, protecting the
most critical areas strictly, and
confining different uses to
specific zones or species (Figure
II-26).
7. The entire lagoon/estuary should
remain the management unit
even where an MPA includes
only part of the basin. Management
must extend beyond the
shorelines to streams, rivers, and
the water catchment, and where
possible to the limit of the functional
boundaries of the lagoon
or estuary ecosystem.
FIGURE II-25.
Research boat used to survey marine habitats to determine their
values and characteristics.
Shorebirds need protected wetland habitats to prosper (Ballona
Wetlands MPA, California).
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Photo by R. Salm.
Photo by John Clark.