MARINE PROTECTED AREAS: WHAT ARE MPAs?
MPAs contribute to PROTECT , PROMOTE and VALUE the marine natural capital of São Tomé and Príncipe – they support the goal of ensuring a healthy ocean as the foundation of a prosperous and sustainable blue economy and of creating more employment opportunities for communities that depend on a healthy ocean.
MPAs are geographically delimited areas intended for the management and conservation of biodiversity, habitats and marine ecosystems, as well as ecosystem services and associated cultural values.
SOLUTIONS TO ENSURE A HEALTHY OCEAN AS THE BASIS OF A PROSPEROUS AND SUSTAINABLE BLUE ECONOMY
MITIGATION
MPAs are an essential part of the global response to climate change, as they protect natural ecosystems and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, through the carbon capture and storage
ADAPTATION
MPAs maintain the integrity of marine ecosystems on which people depend, contributing to local climate stabilization and reducing the risks and impacts of extreme events such as storms and sea level rise
MARINE PROTECTED AREAS ARE AN IMPORTANT INVESTMENT FOR THE FUTURE OF FISHERIES
Conservation of Marine Biodiversity in STP
Protect threatened species and habitats, including fish
Food Safety
Provide animal proteins to feed the population
Responsible Fishing
Ensuring there is fish today and tomorrow
Ensure Livelihood Conditions
Creation of direct and indirect employment in fishing communities
Protection of MPAs and benefits for fisheries resources
Protect areas where small fish grow, such as rivers, mangroves and bays
Protect some areas where adult fish live so that there is good egg production
Increased density, size and biomass of target species in local fisheries, relative to surrounding unprotected areas
Protection of maternity areas and breeding adults, thus increasing reproductive success and offspring survival
Overflow Effect:
Increase in fishing stocks in adjacent areas
Productive marine life and functional food webs
more fish
bigger fish
more species
Challenges.
São Tomé and Príncipe faces several challenges related to overfishing and widespread degradation of marine habitats. Fishing resources have been declining over the years, resulting in increasing concern among coastal communities regarding their sources of income and food.
At the national level, there is a high dependency on fisheries and a lack of knowledge about fisheries legislation, which has crucial implications for biodiversity conservation, food security and human well-being. However, the artisanal fisheries sector is constrained by insufficient planning, limited resources for conservation, monitoring and enforcement by local government and others.
São Tomé and Príncipe, as a fishing country with traditional ways of life that share the same territory with numerous marine species, many of which are endemic or threatened with extinction, faces the challenge of finding mechanisms through the implementation of the network of marine protected areas to, together with other actors, maintain artisanal fisheries, the sustainable use of resources and marine conservation.