For 20 years, NOAA’s National Marine Protected Area Center (MPA Center) has served as a catalyst for conservation partnerships to protect the ocean’s most important places.
An introduction to the diverse benefits of marine protected areas and the importance of international cooperation to protect North America's shared oceans.
North America's marine protected areas support an incredible variety of marine life and help restore fisheries.
Marine protected areas are living laboratories for scientists to learn about our oceans, so we can all make better decisions about their—and our—future.
Marine protected areas offer beautiful and unique places to explore and enjoy the natural world.
Marine protected areas help sustain North America's economy and its coastal communities.
An overview of MPAs and the National System of MPAs. The video describes the benefits of joining the national system, and briefly discusses the membership criteria.
One of the goals of the National System of MPAs: conserving and managing cultural heritage resources. The video features interviews with a tribal leader and an archaeologist, and describes how MPAs can help conserve and protect our nation’s cultural heritage resources.
One of the goals of the National System of MPAs: conserving and managing natural heritage resources. The video features interviews with MPA Center staff and a natural scientist, and describes how MPAs can help conserve and protect our nation’s biological communities, habitats, ecosystems, and processes and the ecological services, values and uses they provide.
One of the goals of the National System of MPAs: conserving and managing sustainable production resources. The video features interviews with conservationists and fishermen, and describes how MPAs can help conserve and protect our nation's renewable living resources and their habitats.
Highlights why we need the national system of marine protected areas, and features interviews with members of the MPA Federal Advisory Committee, and MPA Center staff.
MPA video featured on the Ocean Today Kiosk (part of Sant Ocean Hall at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History)
The MPA Center has been featured in one video and two audio podcasts produced by the National Ocean Service. These podcasts can be accessed below, or by visiting the National Ocean Service's podcast page.
In this video episode, we take a look at the National Marine Protected Areas Center and preview one of four new videos available on the marineprotectedareas.noaa.gov website. (5:34 minutes)
Learn about marine protected areas in this interview with Joe Uravitch, Director of the National MPA Center. The discussion covers what marine protected areas are, where they are located, and why they are important. (12 minutes)
One of the goals of the National System of MPAs: conserving and managing sustainable production resources. The video features interviews with conservationists and fishermen, and describes how MPAs can help conserve and protect our nation's renewable living resources and their habitats.
When astronauts first launched toward the moon and looked back at our planet for the first time, they made an unexpected discovery: Earth Is Blue. NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries will be sharing a photo each day and a video each week highlighting the wonder and beauty of these special places and the work we do to protect them.
Join us as we explore America's national marine sanctuaries and share your own images of our national marine sanctuaries using the hashtag #EarthIsBlue.
Marine Protected Areas