National Marine Protected Areas Initiative
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The National Marine Protected Areas Initiative is a program of the federal government of the United States designed to strengthen the protection of U.S. ocean and coastal resources through the use of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
The program was created on May 26, 2000 by Executive Order 13158 issued by President Clinton.
The order directs the Departments of Commerce and the Interior, and other federal agencies, to strengthen and expand a national system of MPAs by working closely with state, territorial, local, tribal, and other stakeholders. Areas protected include coral reefs, kelp forests, shipwrecks, and those frequented by whales and other marine life. It covers oceans, coastal areas, and the Great Lakes.
On June 4, 2001, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans announced that the Bush Administration intended to retain and proceed with the order.
