MARINE RESERVES: THE TIME FOR A NEW APPROACH?

New Zealand has established 14 marine reserves, which were developed through a local and analytical approach. Many more reserve proposals are in the pipeline, and the idea has almost universal approval. It is now practical and advisable to aim for a system of reserves, organised through a policy based on simple and generally-agreed principles. These principles would be: representation, replication, a network design and a self-sustaining amount. Moving up to principles permits the general public interest to over-ride local and sectional interests. Moving up to a system creates the necessary level of general public interest. At present, three aspects of marine reserves Ð the socio-political, the scientific and the resource management aspects Ð are being developed almost independently. There is a real danger that each will be stalled by detailed and sectorial problems. However, applying basic principles and scaling our thinking up the level of a system will allow a convergence in theory and encourage sensible cooperation in practise