Arctic Council Working Group 
Marine Protected Areas (MPA)
Marine Protected Area is a generic term that includes a variety of types of protected areas in the marine environment, some of which are known by other terms.
All Arctic States have legal and policy tools for designating and managing MPAs in the Arctic that offer flexibility with respect to level of protection and management regime. IUCN has developed categories in order to compare protected areas at a global scale, and guidelines for applying these categories.
MPA Projects
An MPA Defined
PAME uses the International Union for the Conservation of Nature / World Commission on Protected Areas (IUCN/WCPA) definition of an MPA:
"A clearly defined geographical space recognized, dedicated, and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values."
Protected Area Categories
IUCN protected area management categories classify protected areas according to their management objectives. The categories are recognised by international bodies such as the United Nations and by many national governments as the global standard for defining and recording protected areas and as such are increasingly being incorporated into government legislation.
For more information on the Protected Area Categories and PAME's MPA-Network Toolbox, see About Arctic MPAs.