The ProtectedSeas Navigator offers not just a guide to the location of Marine Protected Areas, but also a guide to the actual regulations for marine protection. Regulations and mapping data are sourced directly from management authorities and summarized, and whenever possible reviewed. Additionally, as available, we extract 26 gear and activity codes that indicate whether activities are restricted or allowed, enabling the generation of maps and analysis of protection related to each activity listed here.
While many countries designate MPAs according to the IUCN definition, they also may have other measures that are not formally designated as MPAs. ProtectedSeas' first goal is to map MPAs and then when resources and information are available, to go beyond country MPA designations to include a wider set of restrictions that impact marine life, including other measures to protect habitat and ecosystems (e.g. fishery management, water quality, health, safety and resource extraction).
Our thought is to include as comprehensive a list as possible of protections for marine life. As a guide to the regulatory seascape, the ProtectedSeas Navigator not only helps fishers and boaters on the water stay aware of rules and regulations but also helps inform the international ocean conservation community on the state and coverage of ocean protection.
With over 11,000 areas and growing, the ProtectedSeas Navigator includes marine protected areas for over 70 countries. The ProtectedSeas team has generated electronic maps for approximately 1/4 of all locations and donated them back to governing entities.
While we make every effort to ensure that the information presented on this website is error-free, errors may occur. We ask that you notify us immediately of any errors that you discover in our data. We will make every effort to correct them. Boundaries are approximate. Multiple regulations may apply at once, and regulations cited on this website may not be up-to-date. Users are responsible for being aware of the latest regulations. Any regulatory summaries provided on this website do not represent the United States Government’s construction or interpretation of the regulations and may not be used for enforcement and compliance purposes. With respect to documents, databases, regulatory citations, and other information available on this website, neither the United States Government nor any of its employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose; nor assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed; nor represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights.The views and opinions of authors expressed on this web site do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government. The appearance of external links on this website does not constitute endorsement of external web sites or the information, products, or services contained therein by the Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Ocean Service/Marine Protected Areas Center. The inclusion of the NOAA logo on the webmap reflects NOAA’s role in providing MPA boundary data and collaborating with ProtectedSeas.net to expand geographic and program coverage of MPA boundaries and attributes, but does not indicate NOAA endorsement of the presentation or summary of this data set or associated regulatory summaries. The data on this website does not represent and should not be construed to represent any agency determination, view, or policy.