A Global Milestone: French Polynesia Declares World’s Largest Marine Protected Area

Martina Trepczyk
Sep 19
2 min read

At the UN Ocean Conference in June 2025, French Polynesia made history. The country officially announced the creation of the world’s largest Marine Protected Area (MPA), covering its entire EEZ, approximately 4.8 to 5 million square kilometers of ocean. Because the size of the MPA is too vast to grasp, we compared it to the size of countries. It turns out that the protected area is the equivalent of the entire EU (~4.25 million km²) or covers over 60% of Australia (~7.7 million km²).

Currently, about 1.086 million km² of this area has been designated as strictly or highly protected under IUCN Categories I & II. Within these zones, no extractive activities such as deep-sea mining or bottom trawling are permitted. Instead, only traditional coastal fishing, ecotourism, scientific research, and cultural or spiritual practices by Indigenous communities are allowed. In addition, the government has pledged to expand the highly protected zone by another 500,000 km² by World Ocean Day 2026.

EEZ vs. Territorial Waters

EEZ stands for Exclusive Economic Zone, a legally defined area of ocean extending from 12 up to 200 nautical miles (≈ 370 km) from a country’s baseline. Within this zone, the coastal state has exclusive rights to explore, exploit, conserve, and manage marine resources. It also has jurisdiction over scientific research and environmental protection. However, foreign vessels may freely navigate, fly over, or lay submarine cables and pipelines as long as they don’t extract resources or interfere with the coastal state’s rights.

By contrast, Territorial Waters extend from the coastline up to 12 nautical miles. Here, French Polynesia exercises full sovereignty, including law enforcement, immigration, customs, and environmental regulation, just as it does under mainland French law.

What the Marine protected area Means in Practice

This new designation is not symbolic. It brings solid, enforceable change to these ocean activities:

No deep-sea mining
No bottom trawling
Only traditional fishing, ecotourism, science, and Indigenous cultural activities permitted

In addition, regulations around whale encounters have been tightened:

A maximum of six people, including one certified guide
are allowed in the water at a time per tour.
In places like Mo’orea, no more than three licensed boats may approach a whale at once.

At Wander Out Expeditions, we fully support and comply with these regulations. They ensure minimal disturbance, maximum safety, and a deeper, more respectful connection with the ocean and its wildlife, especially the southern humpback whales who migrate here each year from Antarctica to give birth.

Being now the largest marine protected area, is a powerful statement from a remote island community proving that bold leadership and environmental stewardship are not reserved for large, wealthy nations. French Polynesia is setting a precedent. We’re proud to be part of this turning point. All the more reason to choose ethical operators within protected areas.