A guide for planners and managers - IUCN

As an example, MPAs may border
on inhabited coasts whose residents are
heavily dependent on fish, shellfish, and
other marine resources for food and
livelihood but who damage coastal
habitats or deplete resources in their
pursuits (e.g., dynamite and cyanide
fishing). However, simply denying such
residents access to the MPA is seldom
a viable or desired option for control of
the damaging activities. A better approach
is a form of management that enables
both continued local use and the safeguarding
of ecologically valuable
elements. Zoning can help accomplish
these aims.
In Kenya, for example, the four
Marine National parks are adjacent to or
surrounded by Marine National Reserves.
Tourism activities (glass-bottom boats,
snorkeling, diving) are permitted in the
Parks, but all extractive activities are
prohibited. The Reserves are open to
fishing by traditional fishers using
approved methods.
PART I
Site Planning and Management
The Parks function as no-take zones for replenishment of fishing grounds in
the adjacent Reserves and beyond. By way of additional compensation for their loss
of access to fishing grounds now in the Parks, local fishers have exclusive rights to
fish in the Reserves (recreational, tourist and non-resident fishing is prohibited in the
Reserves and enforced by the management authority).
The following are some specific uses of zones:
– They permit selective control of activities at different sites, including both strict
protection and various levels of use.
– They can establish core conservation areas (sites of high diversity, critical habitats
of threatened species, and special research areas) as sanctuaries where disturbing
uses are prohibited.
– They can be used to separate incompatible recreational activities (bird watching
vs. hunting, or waterskiing vs. snorkeling) to increase the enjoyment and safety
of the different pursuits.
– They enable damaged areas to be set aside to recover.
FIGURE I-25.
Conflicting uses are separated by a tourism-based zoning
plan for the underwater park at Holetown, Barbados.
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Photo by P.J. Cotter.