Naturalness

As development increases and technology continues to allow human access to more-remote parts of the ocean, it is becoming increasingly important to conserve sites that are as close as possible to their natural, pre-human state. These become crucial reference sites that can be compared to areas of high human impact.

Today, many of the important marine protected areas are fragments of larger habitats that have been damaged. Some projects aim to restore these habitats, such as transplanting of seagrass beds or reseeding of mussels in the Hauraki Gulf. Restoration is an expensive and time-consuming process, so conservation of areas that have not yet been disturbed by human activities is an efficient and effective form of marine protection. Many of these areas are remote offshore islands.

Download the Department of Conservation infographic as a PDF.

Copyright: Department of Conservation