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The Marine Protected Areas Panel

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Marine protected areas are areas that have some level of ecosystem protection. These are areas that are being protected not as parks for the enjoyment of humans, but as areas that contain a unique ecosystem, habitat or species that needs protection to ensure that it survives.

Ecological reserves are areas in British Columbia selected to preserve representative and special natural ecosystems, plant and animal species, features and phenomena. The key role of ecological reserves is to contribute to the maintenance of biological diversity. Scientific research is one of the principle uses of ecological reserves in British Columbia.

B.C. has many provincially-designated marine protected areas (MPA), which included protected areas and ecological reserves, as well as several federally-designated MPAs. Some of the protected marine areas found in the Greater Victoria area are featured on this panel.