Bruno David said that many marine protected areas exist only on paper and still permit activities that damage seabeds and biodiversity [1].

This gap between official policy and actual enforcement threatens the long-term viability of ocean ecosystems. If protected zones continue to allow destructive practices, the designations serve as a facade rather than a conservation tool.

David, a naturalist, paleontologist, biologist, and president of the Muséum national d’histoire naturelle, discussed the issue during a broadcast of the France Inter program "La Terre au Carré" on Friday, May 8 [1, 2]. He spoke with host Mathieu Vidard about the paradox of marine conservation strategies.

According to David, the current state of many protected areas allows for a continued degradation of marine environments [1, 2]. While these regions are officially designated as protected, the lack of strict regulation means that biodiversity remains at risk. The result is a system where boundaries are drawn on maps, but the actual seabed continues to suffer from human-led damage [1, 2].

David said that the goal of these areas should be the genuine preservation of life and habitat. When harmful activities are permitted within these zones, the effectiveness of the global effort to save the oceans is diminished [1, 2].

“Many marine protected areas exist only on paper.”

This warning underscores a systemic failure in global ocean governance known as 'paper parks.' When governments designate protected areas to meet international targets without implementing rigorous enforcement or banning extractive activities, they create a false sense of progress. This prevents the implementation of more aggressive, effective conservation measures by suggesting the problem is already being addressed through existing designations.