Area of Marine Habitat Protected (PI1911)

This metric is intended to describe the area of marine habitats newly designated as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), or new habitats added to an existing MPA network, as a result of the organization’s activities.

If an organization has multiple marine habitats newly brought under the protected status, the total area must be reported. This metric should be used in combination with Marine Area Directly Controlled: Total (OI7876).

If the organization contributes partially or has been designated to be responsible for part of the total marine habitat protected, then that information should also be included in footnotes.

It is important to distinguish restoration activities from protection in management of marine habitats and coastal areas. 

For example, if an organization is restoring a degraded coral reef, the intervention could involve coral transplantation or creating coral nurseries to rebuild reef structure. Once these activities are successfully completed, these areas would be considered restored, and you’d measure the area where those activities were implemented.

If an organization is protecting a non-degraded coral reef from further harm without any direct intervention to rebuild it (e.g., through an MPA), then it would count as protection, not restoration.

Unit of measurement: Hectares