A guide for planners and managers - IUCN

Introduction
Sustainable use of coastal resources requires that some coastal areas be retained
in their natural state or as near to natural as possible. Safeguarding critical
habitats for fish production, preserving genetic resources, protecting scenic and
coastal areas, and enjoying natural heritage all may require the protective management
of natural areas.
With the sustainable use of resources foremost in mind, the policy of all
nations should be to provide the necessary legal basis for managing important
habitats and beneficial species. This book presents information helpful to tropical coastal
countries in organizing national systems of marine and coastal protected areas and
in planning and managing selected MPA sites.
Viewpoint
We recognize that all marine protected areas (MPAs) are not created with the same
purpose in mind—each is motivated by a different vision. But two main categories
of conservation enter into the management equation: 1) material, ensuring the
sustainability of economic resources, which may be termed “conservation” and 2)
spiritual, including the important, but less economically tangible, values of species
protection, biodiversity conservation, and landscapes, which may be termed
“environmental protection” (Clark, 1998).
Coastal and marine area protection is usually aimed at practical goals. Except
for spiritual resources, the habitats, ecosystems, species, and communities that we
are trying to conserve have present or potential commercial uses. These resources are
exploitable, currently exploited, or overexploited. The value of marine conservation
can often be readily demonstrated in terms of fish in the diet or cash income, and
people can be actively involved in conservation to avoid conflicts between industry
and conservation and to integrate conservation and development.