In 2003, the World Protected Areas Conference listed marine protection as a key issue, and asked every nation to extend marine protected areas to cover 12 % of the global marine environment within ten years.
更進一步，於 2003 年舉辦的「世界保護區大會」將「海洋保護」列為關鍵議題，大會要求各國政府在未來 10 年內，將海洋保護區面積增加至全球海洋面積的 12 %。