Whats the core mandate of NMCA?
Conservation, Ecological Integrity, Public Education and Enjoyment
What does the NMCA act stipulate?
- represent the diversity of Canada’s oceanic and Great Lakes environments
- maintain ecological processes and life support systems
- provide a model for sustainable use of marine species and ecosystems
- encourage marine research and ecological monitoring
- protect depleted, vulnerable, threatened or endangered marine species and their habitats
- provide for marine interpretation and recreation
- contribute to a growing worldwide network of marine protected areas
What are the NMCA permitted/non-permitted activites?
- Non-permitted: ocean dumping, undersea mining, and oil and gas exploration and development.
- fishing, shipping, recreation, traditional first nations activities is permitted in specific zones within the NMCA zones.
How does the NMCA establish process occur?
5 specific steps. lots of detail in between.
- Identifying representative marine areas (candidate sites) takes into consideration
- geologic features
- marine features
- marine and coastal habitats
- biology - Selecting a potential NMCA from the candidate sites – identified involves looking at:
- quality of regional representation
- relative importance for maintaining biodiversity
- protecting critical habitats of endangered species
- exceptional natural and cultural features
- existing or planned marine protected areas
- minimizing conflict with resource users
- threats to the sustainability of marine ecosystems
- implications of Aboriginal claims and treaties
- potential for education and enjoyment
- value for ecological research and monitoring - Assessing the feasibility of a NMCA requires the cooperation and support of:
- other federal departments and provincial or territorial governments
- local communities, regional stakeholders and Aboriginal peoples
4: Negotiating an agreement
- a federal/provincial or federal/territorial agreement will be negotiated
- Establishment of a NMCA
- Under NMCA Act
What must the NMCA do within its zoning?
must include at least one zone that fosters and encourages ecologically sustainable use of marine resources and at least one zone that fully protects special features or sensitive elements of ecosystems, and may include other types of zones.
What is the 5 point plan?
Finish What Was Started:finish Lancaster Sound NMCA, and the Laurentian Channel, St. Anns Bank and Banc des Américains proposed Oceans Act MPAs;
Protect Pristine Areas: Establish new, large Oceans Act MPAs in pristine offshore areas;
Protect Areas Under Pressure: Establish additional Oceans Act MPAs in areas under pressure from human activities, for example where we are already advancing MPA network development;
Advance Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures: Identify existing and establish new other effective area-based conservation measures based on advice provided by the Canadian Science Advisory Secertariat, such as fisheries closures, particularly to protect sensitive sponge and coral concentrations; and
Establish MPAs Faster: Examine how the Oceans Act can be updated to facilitate the designation process for MPAs, without sacrificing science, or the public’s opportunity to provide input.
