Increasing protection: Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas
Putting controls on international shippingCoastal nations have only a limited ability to impose and enforce their national environmental and navigation regulations on foreign ships passing through their waters - even in marine parks and reserves.
PSSAs provide a mechanism for strict control on international shipping activities in national waters. Countries can declare such areas, and then establish rules for their protection.
PSSAs do not prevent shipping within the designated area, but rather place specific controls to limit potential damage. These can include avoiding certain areas, the use of compulsory routes, bans on discharging waste, and compulsory reporting of shipping activities.
WWF campaigns contributed to the designation of the Baltic Sea, Canary Islands, Galapagos Islands and Western European Waters PSSAs.
We are continuing our efforts to persuade the Russian Federation to add its waters to the Baltic Sea PSSA, and for the Norwegian and Russian governments to declare a PSSA within the Barents Sea. In addition, we are working to develop PSSA proposals for the Mediterranean Sea and the Sulu Sulawesi Sea in the Philippines.
We are also working on the implementation of the new PSSAs. For example, we are encouraging Baltic Sea states to develop effective measures to strengthen the safety of shipping in the Baltic Sea, such as establishing strictly separated shipping traffic lanes and setting up compulsory pilotage systems.
What is a PSSA?
Better protection for the Galapagos Islands
But the islands are no longer so isolated. Today they lie in the path of busy shipping routes to and from the western coast of Central and South America.
Prior to their designation as a PSSA, the islands saw several oil spills, the worst of which was from the Jessica tanker in 2001. Further spills would only further threaten the islands' 5,000 species - almost half of which are found nowhere else on Earth.
The designation of the waters of the Galapagos Islands as a PSSA provides much need protection against oil spills and other impacts from shipping.