Module 5: Conservation Strategy

Knowledge about where marine animals go is important to resource managers and policy makers who are concerned about protecting ocean resources. In the human impacts module, you learned about the different types of human activities that may impact marine animals in your hotspot. In this module, you’re challenged to design a marine protected area to protect the Ocean Tracks species by synthesizing all of the information you’ve gathered in the Ocean Tracks modules.

Research Begin by conducting research in the Ocean Tracks library and online. The following prompts will help guide your research: What is a marine protected area (MPA)? What kinds of activities are permitted in MPAs and what is prohibited? What are the conservation benefits of having MPAs? How do MPAs, marine sanctuaries, national parks, and marine reserves compare to each other? Where are MPAs located? How much of the ocean is currently protected? How are these protected areas established? Pick one or two specific MPAs to study more closely. How were these areas designed? What are the existing conservation strategies for the ocean tracks species? Record your notes on additional slides

What are some important things to consider when designing a marine protected area?

To design a marine protected area that is based on the data you’ve collected during your Ocean Tracks modules, you need to consider a few things: Are there some areas of the ocean that are more important than others for marine species? If so, why are they important? Do marine animals use these habitats throughout the whole year, or only during some times of the year? What are the human activities that have the most negative impact on marine species in that area?

State a Claim Describe the design of your marine protected area on additional slides. It should include the following pieces of information: Where will your marine protected area be located? How big of an area are you going to protect? Are there any forms of protection already in place in this area? If so, what modifications would you make to the current design? Should this area be protected throughout the whole year, or only during certain times of the year? Do you recommend having the location of this area stay the same or change over time? What human activities are going to be restricted within this area?

Provide Evidence What pieces of evidence did you use to design your marine protected area?

Explain Your Reasoning Describe how your data support your choice of design for a marine protected area.

Share Your Findings Prepare a presentation showing the design of your marine protected area for the rest of the class.