The Marine Parks Division is responsible, inter alia, for the protection, conservation and preservation of the marine environment and the development of attractive livelihood initiatives for fishermen in the southern region. For the effective management of marine protected areas, the “South East Marine Protected Area” (SEMPA) has been created with the vision to make it a model of sustainable and collaborative coastal and marine biodiversity management resulting in a prosperous local economy and good quality of life.

Main objectives of the SEMPA are, among others, the sensitisation and awareness raising of the community on Marine Protected Area (MPA) issues; implementation of the Management Plan for sustainable use of lagoon resources through community participation; promotion of exchange between MPAs of the region; and restoration of lagoon for effective management of fisheries and marine resources.