Southeast Atlantic Seamounts Marine Protected Area  The Southeast Atlantic Seamounts Marine Protected Area is an offshore conservation region in the exclusive economic zone of South Africa  A marine protected area is defined by the IUCN as "A clearly defined geographical space, recognised, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values". The Southeast Atlantic Seamount Marine Protected Area is an offshore marine protected area in the depth range, about 94 nautical miles southwest of Gansbaai in the Western Cape. The protected area of includes the sea bed, water column and subsoil. The MPA comprises two separate areas  A larger portion bounded by:  A smaller portion bounded by:  The MPA consists of two restricted zones and one controlled zone. Southeast Atlantic Seamount Restricted Zone 1:   Southeast Atlantic Seamount Restricted Zone 2:   Southeast Atlantic Seamount Controlled Zone:  The marine protected areas of South Africa are the responsibility of the national government, which has management agreements with a variety of MPA management authorities, which manage the MPAs with funding from the SA Government through the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA). The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is responsible for issuing permits, quotas and law enforcement. The MPA is in the warm temperate Agulhas inshore marine bioregion to the east of Cape Point which extends eastwards to the Mbashe River. There are a large proportion of species endemic to South Africa along this coastline. Three major habitats exist in the sea in this region, distinguished by the nature of the substrate. The substrate, or base material, is important in that it provides a base to which an organism can anchor itself, which is vitally important for those organisms which need to stay in one particular kind of place. Rocky reefs provide a firm fixed substrate for the attachment of plants and animals. Sedimentary bottoms are a relatively unstable substrate and cannot anchor kelp or many of the other benthic organisms. Finally there is open water, above the substrate and clear of the kelp forest, where the organisms must drift or swim. Mixed habitats are also frequently found, which are a combination of those mentioned above. Rocky reefs There are rocky reefs and mixed rocky and sandy bottoms. For many marine organisms the substrate is another type of marine organism, and it is common for several layers to co-exist. Examples of this are red bait pods, which are usually encrusted with sponges, ascidians, bryozoans, anemones, and gastropods, and abalone, which are usually covered by similar seaweeds to those found on the surrounding rocks, usually with a variety of other organisms living on the seaweeds.