MPA Finance: Status and Future Directions - Discussion Paper

The ocean is essential to human wellbeing, however human pressures threaten the ability of the ocean to continue to provide benefits. Valued at USD 24 trillion, the ocean economy is the 7th largest global economy in GDP terms, however many sectors that rely on a healthy seascape are losing value under a business-as-usual management regime. Protecting 30% of the ocean in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is a vital component in the design and management of a healthy interconnected seascape and can mitigate the impacts of other users/ beneficiaries. There are currently around 18,000 designated MPAs covering around 7.65% of the ocean surface, of which approximately one third offer a high degree of protection (2.7% of the ocean surface area)