Paper park
A paper park is an area with designated environmental or conservation protection status, but with little actual implementation of environmental management or protection measures.{{Cite journal |last=Relano |first=Veronica |last2=Pauly |first2=Daniel |date=2023-05-01 |title=The ‘Paper Park Index’: Evaluating Marine Protected Area effectiveness through a global study of stakeholder perceptions |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X23000982 |journal=Marine Policy |volume=151 |pages=105571 |doi=10.1016/j.marpol.2023.105571 |issn=0308-597X|doi-access=free }}{{Cite web |last=Slezak |first=Michael |title=Conservation report reinforces fears over 'paper parks' |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn26552-conservation-report-reinforces-fears-over-paper-parks/ |access-date=2024-09-28 |website=New Scientist |language=en-US}} This can stem from process or governance issues, or from weak regulations and lack of enforcement.{{Cite web |date=2019-09-25 |title=Oceans are in trouble, IPCC says. Why are marine protections falling short? |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/paper-parks-undermine-marine-protected-areas |access-date=2024-09-28 |website=Environment |language=en}}
Background
A 2020 report by NGO Oceana revealed that many European Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) function as "paper parks," offering minimal real protection. Of the 3,449 Natura 2000 MPAs assessed, 70% faced at least one significant threat, with some sites in the Netherlands and the UK experiencing up to 12 threats. Only 0.07% of the total MPA network was free from any assessed threats, while 86% of the network was impacted by damaging fishing gear.{{Cite web |title=New study reveals extent of European marine paper parks: 96% allow destructive activities inside their boundaries |url=https://europe.oceana.org/press-releases/new-study-reveals-extent-european-marine-paper-parks-96-allow/ |access-date=2024-09-26 |website=Oceana Europe |language=en-US}}