According to the press release of NOAA its National Marine Protected Areas Center has launched a new interactive online mapping tool that, for the first time. This tool will allow users to view boundaries and access data for more than a thousand marine protected areas (MPAs) in the United States. Joseph Uravitch, director of NOAA’s MPA Center, said that their phone can’t stop ringing as the people are curious to know more about the tool.
This will increase the knowledge about the management of local waters. This new mapping tool provides a snapshot of what activities are allowed and how people can get more information about MPAs, opined Joseph Uravitch. He also adds that the site brings together information from dozens of management agencies creating an efficient one-stop resource.
NOAA said that the new mapping tool allows users to view all the MPAs in a specific location or across an entire region, as well as search for specific attributes, including conservation purpose, managing agency and level of protection, among others. David M. Kennedy, acting assistant administrator for NOAA’s National Ocean Service, explained that MPAs are an important tool in conserving our ocean and coastal resources which are vital to our nation’s environmental health and economy.
