The Network of Marine Protected Areas of Spain is made up of protected areas located in the Spanish marine environment, representative of the marine natural heritage, regardless of whether their declaration and management are regulated by international, community and state standards, as well as their regulatory framework and the system of relations necessary for their operation. Those areas whose declaration and management are regulated by regional standards may also be integrated into the Network, in the case established in article 36.1 of Law 42/2007, of December 13.
Law 41/2010, of December 29, on the protection of the marine environment, formally creates the RAMPE, regulates it and establishes its objectives, the natural areas that comprise it and the mechanisms for its designation and management.