World Ocean Day unites communities around the globe to celebrate the ocean, our intricate relationship with it, and the urgent work needed to protect it. First celebrated in 1992, this year marks the 33rd anniversary of this UN-recognized observance. This year’s theme—Strong Marine Protected Areas for Our Blue Planet—serves as an opportunity to take stock of the progress we have collectively made and set the course for global ocean management and conservation in the years ahead.
This year’s theme builds on the momentum of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), which established the target goal to “effectively conserve[] and manage[]” at least 30% of the planet’s land and water by 2030. Currently, only about 8% of the ocean is under some form of protection — and far less is effectively managed. This year’s anniversary also comes on the heels of a pivotal moment: the High Seas Treaty entered into force on January 17, 2026, establishing the first legally binding framework to conserve and promote sustainable use in the high seas through marine protected areas (MPAs) in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ). However, much work is needed for countries to implement the treaty.
The stakes could not be higher. Our oceans are crucial for the planet—soaking up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, regulating climate, serving as habitat to millions of known species (with many still being undiscovered), providing a wealth of natural resources that sustain lengthy food chains, communities, and life cycles throughout the world, and serving as a place of recreation and cultural heritage. Yet, human activity continues to erode our ocean faster than it can recover—and MPA designation alone is not enough. All too often, MPAs risk becoming “paper parks”: established sites that lack sufficient management and enforcement to achieve conservation goals. Effective marine protection requires strong legal and institutional infrastructure.
For decades, ELI has been building that infrastructure. ELI's Ocean Program works at the intersection of law, policy, and science to ensure that ocean protections are not just adopted, but implemented and enforced, translating global commitments into practical tools that governments, managers, and communities can actually use. For example, ELI has spent years working with countries and organizations in the Caribbean region to strengthen the legal foundations of Caribbean MPAs and help enforcement officers and MPA managers build their capacity to effectively enforce relevant legislation. This World Ocean Day, we are proud to highlight one of our most impactful ongoing efforts in the region: the 2026 update to our flagship report on Caribbean MPA laws and regulations, Legal Frameworks for MPA Enforcement in the Caribbean: Challenges and Opportunities.
In 2012, NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program and the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI) convened a regional peer-to-peer workshop on MPA compliance and enforcement. Attendees identified a shared need: a better understanding of best practices in MPA legislation and a more uniform, regional approach to enforcement. GCFI then asked ELI to prepare a study that comprehensively reviewed MPA laws and regulations across eight Caribbean countries, including with regard to enforcement powers, adjudication of violations, and penalties. In 2015, ELI published Legal Frameworks for MPA Enforcement in the Caribbean: Challenges and Opportunities, which contained country-by-country legal assessments, identified similarities and differences among enforcement authorities in the region, and highlighted model approaches. In 2018, ELI updated the report with a new chapter on Three Bays National Park in Haiti. After a decade of legal and policy changes in the Caribbean countries since the original report, as well as new global targets (such as 30x30) that require stronger domestic frameworks, we are excited to be completing a much-needed update to the study.
Why Enforcement Matters
MPAs are crucial for conserving marine biodiversity and maintaining the health and resilience of ocean ecosystems. They can also create social and economic benefits for communities by sustaining fisheries, expanding opportunities for ecotourism, and creating jobs for coastal communities. However, to achieve their conservation and socio-economic goals, MPAs must be properly designed, managed, and enforced.
The consequences of weak enforcement are significant and far-reaching. Various illegal activities within the protected areas can undermine established conservation goals. For example, illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing can deplete fish stocks, while illegal extractive activities, dredging, and anchoring can harm ecosystems and damage coral reefs and other habitats. If MPAs fail to prevent ecological harm, coastal communities will ultimately bear the greatest cost, raising important equity concerns and potentially eroding community trust in marine governance systems. Weak enforcement can also have impacts beyond national borders, as ineffective enforcement in one country can undermine conservation gains in neighboring waters, making a consistent regional approach essential for MPA effectiveness.
At its core, effective enforcement begins with a strong legislative framework. MPA restrictions may be established through legislation, regulations, or other legal instruments. Enforcement officers can only exercise the authority granted to them through law. If the law does not clearly prohibit harmful activities, designate responsible agencies, articulate enforcement powers of enforcement officers, or authorize penalties, even the most dedicated officers may be unable to act effectively.
What Effective MPA Enforcement Looks Like
Strong MPA enforcement starts at the design phase and continues into management. MPAs and prohibitions within them should be designed in ways that are practical to enforce. For example, well-designed zoning is essential, clearly distinguishing fully protected no-take zones from limited-use areas. Similarly, a prohibition on the possession of certain fishing gear is easier to enforce than a prohibition on the use of that gear, since authorities may not be able to observe whether that gear is being actively used.
Effective enforcement also depends on institutional coordination and clearly defined enforcement powers. Many countries rely on multiple agencies—including fisheries departments, coast guards, police, and park authorities—to carry out enforcement responsibilities. MPA laws should clearly indicate which agencies have jurisdiction to enforce requirements within MPAs and how responsibilities are shared. Allowing for cross-deputization and shared financial resources across agencies can significantly expand enforcement capacity. Some countries also authorize agencies to appoint and train new MPA-specific enforcement officers. For example, governments may grant temporary enforcement powers on a seasonal basis to protect whale migratory routes or protect sea turtles nesting on beaches.
Detecting violations and illegal activity is another critical component of successful enforcement. Traditional at-sea patrols remain essential, especially for remote or large MPAs, but they can be incredibly resource-intensive. Increasingly, countries are supplementing patrols with technologies such as drones, Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS), Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), satellite monitoring, land-based radar, and dockside inspections. Community-based reporting mechanisms (including anonymous tips apps) can also play an important role, as local fishers and coastal residents are often the first to observe suspicious activity.
Once violations are detected, legal systems must be capable of responding effectively. Processes should strive to be as streamlined and practical as possible, so that enforcement actions are not abandoned due to procedural complexity. Clear adjudication procedures, the availability of prosecutors with fisheries or environmental expertise, and meaningful penalties are all necessary to ensure that violations carry real consequences. Evidentiary presumptions also help prosecutors prove how or where a violation occurred (e.g., fish found aboard a vessel that was fishing in a prohibited location will be presumed to have been caught illegally, unless proven otherwise). Penalties may include fines, vessel seizures, or license revocations. Some countries have also adopted natural resource damage (NRD) provisions, which require violators to pay for the restoration of damaged marine ecosystems. These provisions can provide an important source of funding for MPAs, especially for resource-constrained governments.
Since marine ecosystems and fishing activity often cross national borders, effective MPA enforcement depends heavily on international and regional cooperation. Mechanisms such as port state measures, cross-jurisdictional enforcement arrangements, and information sharing on vessel movements and fishing activity can help countries detect and respond to violations more effectively.
Looking Ahead
MPA enforcement is especially relevant as countries pursue their 30x30 commitments and begin to implement the High Seas Treaty. Regional cooperation, information sharing, and more harmonized legal approaches will be essential for effective ocean governance in the years ahead. ELI’s updated edition of Legal Frameworks for MPA Enforcement in the Caribbean: Challenges and Opportunities seeks to support that work by providing policymakers, MPA managers, and legal drafters with a comparative understanding of existing legal frameworks, emerging best practices, and areas where reform may be needed. As countries work to expand marine protections, ensuring that MPAs are effectively enforced, adequately resourced, and durable will be even more important than increasing the percentage of ocean space placed under protection.
This World Ocean Day, as the international community celebrates new momentum for ocean conservation, ELI remains committed to advancing innovative, just, and practical law and policy solutions for the ocean.