EXPERT COMMENT: Protecting marine areas seem a good idea - but they may have insidious political effects
(WorldNews Environment)

Zones of ocean known as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are all the rage. They have no single or agreed definition, but essentially they are areas of sea in which human activity is restricted or prohibited in order to preserve and protect marine habitat and species. They may be small coastal areas or very large off-shore expanses of ocean. MPAs are established by local or national governments in order to address actual or potential threats to the marine environment, to create `blue corridors` and to safeguard the breeding and feeding grounds of various marine species. The thrust for large-scale MPAs is driven by global targets tied to international obligations under the Convention on...