A marine protected area is defined by the World Conservation Union (IUCN 1994) as ‘any area of intertidal or subtidal terrain, together with its overlying water and associated flora, fauna, historical and cultural features, which has been reserved by law or other effective means to protect part or all of the enclosed environment.’ There are various types of protected areas, with varying levels of protection depending on each country's enabling laws or the regulations of the international organisations involved.
Two Sanctuaries are currently designated by the International Whaling Commission, both of which prohibit commercial whaling. The first of these, the Indian Ocean Sanctuary, was established in 1979 and covers the whole of the Indian Ocean south to 55°S. The second was adopted in 1994 and covers the waters of the Southern Ocean around Antarctica. The precise co-ordinates are recorded in the Schedule at paragraphs 7.(a) and 7.(b). In 2018 the Commission accepted a management plan for the Southern Ocean Sanctuary developed by the Scientific and Conservation Committees. Information on the research objectives can be found here
The core legal framework in New Zealand for the protection of cetaceans includes the following:
• The Marine Mammals Protection Act 1978 (this provides for the full protection of cetaceans in New Zealand as well as the compulsory reporting of any capture of marine mammals).
• The Marine Mammals Protection Regulations 1992 (this prescribes the behaviour of persons, vessels, aircraft and vehicles in the vicinity of marine mammals).
The following MPAs are in place within UK waters and specifically name cetaceans as a qualifying feature.
The government of Brazil established two large Federal Marine Protected Areas in 2018, including the two most remote islands of the national territory - the São Pedro and São Paulo archipelagos - and also the chain of submarine mountains that connects the Brazilian continental shelf to the Trindade and Martin Vaz Archipelago.
