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    Protected Areas (Marine)

    Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are designated ocean regions where human activities are restricted to safeguard marine ecosystems and biodiversity. While their coverage has significantly expanded in recent years, reaching approximately 8% of the global ocean, there’s still a long way to go to achieve adequate protection, such as the target agreed upon by the Convention on Biological Diversity of 30% of each country’s Exclusive Economic Zone by 2030. The distribution of MPAs is uneven, with some regions boasting extensive coverage while others remain largely unprotected. Additionally, the level of protection within MPAs varies widely, from strict no-take zones to areas with multiple human activities allowed.

    Increasing MPA coverage is a recognized strategy for safeguarding marine ecosystems from overfishing, pollution, and the impacts of climate change, such as ocean acidification and rising sea temperatures. Effective MPAs not only cover significant areas but are also strategically located to include biologically important regions. Moreover, the success of MPAs depends greatly on the strength of enforcement, the level of protection they offer, and the involvement of local communities and stakeholders in management processes.

    The higher the score, the better the country ranks for this parameter.

    The table is sorted from the highest score to the lowest:

    Rank Country Score Change
    1
    Belgium    		 100 N/A
    1
    Chile    		 100 N/A
    1
    Colombia    		 100 N/A
    1
    Germany    		 100 N/A
    1
    Kazakhstan    		 100 N/A
    1
    Seychelles    		 100 N/A
    7
    Australia    		 98 N/A
    8
    New Zealand    		 95 N/A
    9
    Costa Rica    		 94 N/A
    10
    Brazil    		 88 N/A
    11
    Panama    		 87 N/A
    12
    Gabon    		 84 N/A
    13
    Poland    		 78 N/A
    14
    Romania    		 75 N/A
    15
    Lithuania    		 74 N/A
    16
    Mexico    		 73 N/A
    17
    United States    		 69 N/A
    18
    Cameroon    		 67 N/A
    19
    Ecuador    		 66 N/A
    20
    Estonia    		 64 N/A
    21
    Eritrea    		 63 N/A
    22
    Ukraine    		 62 N/A
    23
    Netherlands    		 62 N/A
    24
    Bahrain    		 58 N/A
    25
    Nicaragua    		 58 N/A
    26
    Oman    		 54 N/A
    27
    Sweden    		 54 N/A
    28
    Latvia    		 52 N/A
    29
    Canada    		 49 N/A
    30
    South Africa    		 49 N/A
    31
    Belize    		 48 N/A
    32
    Dominican Republic    		 43 N/A
    33
    Spain    		 43 N/A
    34
    France    		 40 N/A
    35
    Finland    		 40 N/A
    36
    Kiribati    		 40 N/A
    37
    United Arab Emirates    		 40 N/A
    38
    Congo    		 38 N/A
    39 Italy 36 N/A
    40
    Argentina    		 35 N/A
    41
    Croatia    		 31 N/A
    42
    Saudi Arabia    		 31 N/A
    43
    Honduras    		 30 N/A
    44
    Cyprus    		 29 N/A
    45
    Bulgaria    		 27 N/A
    46
    Bahamas    		 26 N/A
    47
    Malta    		 26 N/A
    48
    Peru    		 26 N/A
    49
    Bangladesh    		 25 N/A
    50
    Japan    		 25 N/A
    51
    Guinea-Bissau    		 22 N/A
    52
    Djibouti    		 20 N/A
    53
    Cuba    		 18 N/A
    54
    Thailand    		 17 N/A
    55
    Greece    		 16 N/A
    56
    Malaysia    		 16 N/A
    57
    Denmark    		 15 N/A
    58
    Kuwait    		 15 N/A
    59
    Norway    		 15 N/A
    60
    Portugal    		 15 N/A
    61
    Venezuela    		 14 N/A
    62
    Mauritania    		 13 N/A
    63
    Egypt    		 11 N/A
    64
    Philippines    		 11 N/A
    65
    Sudan    		 11 N/A
    66
    Indonesia    		 10 N/A
    67
    Suriname    		 9 N/A
    68
    Turkmenistan    		 9 N/A
    69
    Ireland    		 8 N/A
    70
    Saint Lucia    		 8 N/A
    71
    Tanzania    		 8 N/A
    72
    Cambodia    		 7 N/A
    73
    Qatar    		 7 N/A
    74
    Russia    		 7 N/A
    75
    South Korea    		 7 N/A
    76
    Vietnam    		 7 N/A
    77
    Albania    		 6 N/A
    78
    Angola    		 6 N/A
    79
    Bosnia and Herz.    		 6 N/A
    80
    Haiti    		 6 N/A
    81
    Mozambique    		 6 N/A
    82
    Namibia    		 6 N/A
    83
    Sierra Leone    		 6 N/A
    84
    Senegal    		 5 N/A
    85
    Slovenia    		 5 N/A
    86
    East Timor    		 4 N/A
    87
    Madagascar    		 4 N/A
    88
    Montenegro    		 4 N/A
    89
    Taiwan    		 4 N/A
    90
    Uruguay    		 4 N/A
    91
    El Salvador    		 3 N/A
    92
    Fiji    		 3 N/A
    93
    Grenada    		 3 N/A
    94
    Guatemala    		 3 N/A
    95
    Iran    		 3 N/A
    96
    Tunisia    		 3 N/A
    97
    Antigua and Barbuda    		 2 N/A
    98
    Azerbaijan    		 2 N/A
    99
    Comoros    		 2 N/A
    100
    Gambia    		 2 N/A
    101
    Georgia    		 2 N/A
    102
    Guinea    		 2 N/A
    103
    Israel    		 2 N/A
    104
    Jamaica    		 2 N/A
    105
    Jordan    		 2 N/A
    106
    Kenya    		 2 N/A
    107
    Morocco    		 2 N/A
    108
    Myanmar    		 2 N/A
    109
    Brunei    		 1 N/A
    110
    China    		 1 N/A
    111
    DR Congo    		 1 N/A
    112
    Equatorial Guinea    		 1 N/A
    113
    Iceland    		 1 N/A
    114
    Marshall Islands    		 1 N/A
    115
    Algeria    		 0 N/A
    116
    Barbados    		 0 N/A
    117
    Benin    		 0 N/A
    118
    Cape Verde    		 0 N/A
    119
    Dominica    		 0 N/A
    120
    Ghana    		 0 N/A
    121
    Guyana    		 0 N/A
    122
    India    		 0 N/A
    123
    Iraq    		 0 N/A
    124
    Ivory Coast    		 0 N/A
    125
    Liberia    		 0 N/A
    126
    Lebanon    		 0 N/A
    127
    Papua New Guinea    		 0 N/A
    128
    Turkey    		 0 N/A
    129
    Maldives    		 0 N/A
    130
    Mauritius    		 0 N/A
    131
    Micronesia    		 0 N/A
    132
    Nigeria    		 0 N/A
    133
    Pakistan    		 0 N/A
    134
    St. Vincent and the Grenadines    		 0 N/A
    135
    Samoa    		 0 N/A
    136
    Sao Tome and Principe    		 0 N/A
    137
    Singapore    		 0 N/A
    138
    Solomon Islands    		 0 N/A
    139
    Sri Lanka    		 0 N/A
    140
    Togo    		 0 N/A
    141
    Tonga    		 0 N/A
    142
    Trinidad and Tobago    		 0 N/A
    143
    Vanuatu    		 0 N/A

    Source and Calculation

    Marine Protected Area shapefiles are sourced from the World Database on Protected Areas through Protected Planet. The percentage of each country’s exclusive economic zone that is covered by at least one Marine Protected Area is then calculated. A maximum score is awarded to a country that has met the 30% target.

    *Different sources offer varying data, as datasets may be subject to changes due to recent updates and revisions.