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Proposed Solution regarding Marine Protected Areas
Teams 8 and 9
Abstract: We assert that the establishment and operation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is a viable and effective, albeit incomplete, means of protecting, rebuilding, and sustaining the world's marine resources. In accordance with the goals of Mission 2011, MPAs are an ecosystem-based approach to marine management. MPAs currently in operation unequivocally demonstrate that reductions human impacts allow ecosystems to return to a healthier, more natural state. We will also demonstrate other advantages of MPAs, both alone and relative to other management strategies. Given such benefits, the primary challenge is to expand MPA coverage to a globally significant scale, while at the same time maintaining the support of various stakeholder groups. In this solution, we will first propose a broadly applicable scheme for establishing MPAs, and then discuss some issues regarding their operation.
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