#marine-protected-areas

#marine-protected-areas

The National Marine Park of Alonissos Northern Sporades, established in 1992, is Greece's largest working marine protected area. The protective measures appear to be working, judged by the size, abundance and diversity of marine life—glassy waters teeming with colourful fish and precious shells make swimming here an absolute dream.

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are key to conservation at sea, yet fishing is allowed in more than 90% of them. Defining the types of fishing that are compatible with conservation goals is urgent, given that the United Nations high seas treaty - a global accord with a mechanism for creating MPAs - comes into force in early 2026. doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-03277-0Competing Interests The authors declare no competing interests.

The summit comes as just 2.7% of the ocean is effectively protected from destructive extractive activities, far below the 30% conservation target set for 2030.