National Marine Conservation Area Plans

A Marine Conservation Area is the marine equivalent of a park – an area in which industrial development is limited or prohibited altogether for the protection of biological diversity and the benefit of future generations.  In Canada, the establishment of marine protected areas is in its infancy.  However, the Parliament of Canada has recently strengthened the legal basis for Marine Conservation Areas by enacting a new National Marine Conservation Act, and the federal government is very interested in establishing National Marine Conservation Areas.  Parks Canada’s National Marine Conservation Area (NMCA) program seeks to represent and sustainably use[1] NMCAs in each of the 29 marine natural regions (there are 5 regions in the Pacific). 

NMCAs include the sea bed, its subsoil and the water located directly above it.  In coastal areas, they may include wetlands, river estuaries, islands and other coastal lands.  However, they may also be established wholly offshore to protect marine areas some distance from Canada's coastline.  Since marine protected areas are vulnerable to downstream pollution from adjacent land, establishing a NMCA in close proximity to an existing protected area can enhance the protection of both. 

Management Plans

In addition to identifying and establishing these Marine Conservation Areas through a National Marine Conservation Area System Plan, Parks Canada is required to develop a management plan for individual NMCAs. NMCA management plan attempts to:

·         Ensure ecologically sustainable use, while also setting aside some zones that will fully protect special features and fragile ecosystems. This consideration needs to underlie all parts of the plan.

·         Provide for sustainable use of the area consistent with the need to maintain the structure and function of marine ecosystems.

·         Provide guidance to marine conservation area managers and users about the day-to-day management and use of the area.

·         Outline how the Minister responsible for Parks Canada proposes to conserve the area's resources in keeping with the provisions of the National Parks Act.

At least once every five years the Minister must prepare a management plan for an MCA.  This plan must:

·         Be prepared with the advice of an advisory committee appointed by the Minister;

·         Be developed in consultation with other levels of government (including First Nations) and “other persons and bodies that the Minister considers appropriate”. 

·         Be based on the “primary considerations” of “principles of ecosystem management and the precautionary principle.

·         Be tabled in both houses of Parliament.

Zoning is an essential part of the NMCA management plan.  Zones define and map the different levels of protection and use that will occur in the marine conservation area and separate potentially conflicting human activities.  Zoning must be comprehensive but also as simple as possible to ensure it can be readily understood by the public, and be translated into management actions and regulations that are easy to comply with and enforce.  To avoid unnecessary regulation of human activities, each zone will have clear and justifiable objectives.

Plans must be prepared within five years of the area's proclamation as a NMCA and be reviewed and amended as necessary every five years thereafter. 

There are 3 marine regions for British Columbia[2] that will be represented by NMCA.

·         Queen Charlotte Shelf: this region is represented by Gwaii Haanas National Marine Conservation Area Reserve (3050 km²). A federal-provincial agreement to establish the national marine conservation area was signed in 1988 and the boundaries were agreed upon in 1993. Next planning steps include negotiations and consultations with respect to the management of fisheries and other uses within the NMCA boundaries, and the establishment of the area in legislation.

·         Queen Charlotte Sound: this region is not yet represented in the NMCA system.

·         Vancouver Island Shelf: this region is partly represented by the marine component of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. The agreement between Canada and British Columbia providing for the creation of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve was signed in 1987. The boundaries of Pacific Rim extend offshore to include a marine component of approximately 155 km². A second NMCA is proposed for Southern Strait of Georgia.

Related Guide Pages:

·         National Marine Conservation Act

For more information about National Marine Conservation Area Plans:

·         National Marine Conservation Areas pages of the Parks Canada website.  Of special interest is the National Marine Conservation Area System Plan.