Assessing the Effectiveness of Coastal Marine Protected Area Management: Four Learned Lessons for Science Uptake and Upscaling

From regional effectiveness evaluation and community engagement toward effective marine protected areas

Applying organization science to assess the management performance of Marine Protected Areas: An exploratory study

Effect of marine reserve establishment on non-cooperative fisheries management

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are perhaps one of the most influential tools available to battle the ever-increasing over-exploitation of marine resources and consequent dilapidation of ocean environments. Publication of this book, with contributions from a wide range of scientists based primarily in university and national research institutes, is a welcome addition to our knowledge of how best to manage the marine environment with a particular emphasis on the ways in which networks of MPAs may amplify the efficiency and conservation benefits of individual areas within them. The contents of this impressive book fall into 14 chapters, with list of contributors, foreword and editor's preface at the front of the book and a general index at its end. References are given at the end of each chapter. Chapter 1 deals with the changeover from individual MPAs to MPA networks, arguing that the transition involved is comparable with that between habitats and landscapes or hunting and gathering to farming. Fittingly, this chapter contains a useful table showing MPAs around the world. Chapters 2 to 4 consider the management, monitoring and effectiveness of MPAs. Chapter 2, which takes the Mediterranean Sea as an example to show the effects and benefits of MPAs, also discusses the wider ecological benefits through an exploration of a number of current environmental issues that are positively addressed by the creation of MPAs. Chapter 3 specifically examines the idea of introducing a method of monitoring MPA networks, with its Table 3.2 providing an informative piece of work that can help in choosing the most appropriate type of MPA network. Chapter 4 considers priorities for MPA management and realistically notes that ‘they need political will and willing hands to make them a reality’. Chapter 5 is confined to a discussion of how MPAs can be considered as spatial protection measures. Chapters 6 and 7 are allocated to discussions of the issue of the impact of networks of MPAs, with the former chapter centring on socioeconomic matters and contains the very revealing Table 6.1 addressing the potential socioeconomic impacts of MPAs and the latter chapter considering social and economic aspects in the context of the long-term sustainability of marine ecosystems and human events. Chapter 8 tackles the relationship between MPAs and biodiversity, using the ecosystem approach as a strategic perception. Reading through this chapter, I expected to see a paragraph or a section talking specifically about the effect of creating an MPA on the species richness and flourishing of biodiversity in general. Chapter 9 takes the reader back again to the management square and suggests a collaboration should be formed between managers of MPAs in order to organise their efforts for better results of MPAs globally. For this aim, the author told the readers how a network of MPA managers strengthens the management of MPA networks. In Chapter 10, the reader is taken back to the issue of biodiversity again and the author discusses the issue of bio-invasion as one of the most upsetting forms of human impacts on ecosystems and takes the bio-invasion history of the Mediterranean Sea as the primary material for her discussion. Chapters 11, 12 and 13 are restricted to the discussion of MPAs in the countries that border the Black Sea, focussing on the implementation of MPA networks and their effects on the ecosystems in Turkey, Romania, Russia and Ukraine. The final Chapter 14 is devoted to the issue of the presence of offshore wind farms (OWFs) and creating MPAs. The authors expressed their fears about the negative impacts of OWFs, but also showed how OWFs can increase species abundance and how future technical enhancements may decrease the impact of these structures on the environment. This book is a valuable compendium on MPAs. It is an outstanding work and appeals not only to the marine specialist, but also to those concerned with broader issues of marine conservation, ecosystem science and management. The major strengths of this book lie in the variety of subjects that it covers within the field of MPAs, its detailed and depth of information, and its high-quality colour photographs. The only weakness of the book in my opinion is that the sequence of chapters could perhaps have been better organised into sections of similar chapters covering themes such as management, biodiversity and so on. However, this is a minor complaint and with its contributions from many esteemed authors and valuable inputs from its editor, who is himself an internationally recognised expert in the subject of this book, its price is well worth paying for such an important and excellent publication.

It is essential for marine protected areas (MPAs) to employ an effective management system and utilise natural and marine resources in a sustainable way. The effective management of MPAs should integrate government initiatives and the involvement of local communities. MPAs currently face numerous challenges due to ineffective management of resources. The common practices of a centralisation approach and lack of community-based approaches are the key drivers of ineffective management of MPAs. In particular, these issues are not addressed comprehensively in Southeast Asia. Many countries are moving from centralised approaches to decentralised approaches, which reflect the growth of community-based management approaches as a preferred alternative. However, a fundamental question naturally arises: do marine park communities (MPCs) adequately manage natural and marine resources? The local community might encounter significant problems such as insufficient financial budget, lack of technical know-how, lack of capacity, skills, or training, lack of law enforcement, and absence of coordination or cooperation. As a result, this chapter discusses collaborative management systems, which could be a way forward for government officials and local communities to utilise and manage coastal resources in a sustainable manner.

Stakeholder participation has received increased attention as a key process for enhancing mitigation of conflicts between different interests for the same resources and transparent decision-making in marine protected areas (MPAs). A wide range of advanced web tools is available nowadays that integrate stakeholder participation by generating new information and allow interaction between actors in MPA management. However, such technologies are frequently used without much consideration regarding the complexity of the decision to be made and the heterogeneity of stakeholder preferences and understanding in order to be related to these technologies. In order to understand how technology corresponds to the changing needs of MPA management, we have reviewed a range of different participation strategies adopted by web technology, based on a set of criteria that define a successful participation approach. We start from simple towards more sophisticated tools that have been developed worldwide in order to better inform decisions, and contribute to more effective and efficient MPA management. Finally, we draw a theoretical framework for the development of a community-based web tool with the capacity to incorporate the philosophy of stakeholder participation by generating new and high quality information flow for effective MPA management.

Stakeholder participation has received increased attention as a key process for enhancing mitigation of conflicts between different interests for the same resources and transparent decision-making in marine protected areas (MPAs). A wide range of advanced web tools is available nowadays that integrate stakeholder participation by generating new information and allow interaction between actors in MPA management. However, such technologies are frequently used without much consideration regarding the complexity of the decision to be made and the heterogeneity of stakeholder preferences and understanding in order to be related to these technologies. In order to understand how technology corresponds to the changing needs of MPA management, we have reviewed a range of different participation strategies adopted by web technology, based on a set of criteria that define a successful participation approach. We start from simple towards more sophisticated tools that have been developed worldwide in order to better inform decisions, and contribute to more effective and efficient MPA management. Finally, we draw a theoretical framework for the development of a community-based web tool with the capacity to incorporate the philosophy of stakeholder participation by generating new and high quality information flow for effective MPA management.

Organization Science improves management effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas

IUCN, WWF and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have developed this guidebook to assist marine protected area (MPA) managers in assessing the performance of their MPA. Based on this assessment, it shows how necessary changes can be made to improve management measures. It presents a flexible approach that can be used in many types of MPA and offers a variety of specific biological, socio-economic and governance indicators to measure the effectiveness of management actions in achieving MPA goals and objectives.

California’s lessons learned and recommendations for effective marine protected area network management

Climate change is increasingly impacting marine protected areas (MPAs) and MPA networks, yet adaptation strategies are rarely incorporated into MPA design and management plans according to the primary scientific literature. Here we review the state of knowledge for adapting existing and future MPAs to climate change and synthesize case studies (n=27) of how marine conservation planning can respond to shifting environmental conditions. First, we derive a generalized conservation planning framework based on five published frameworks that incorporate climate change adaptation to inform MPA design. We then summarize examples from the scientific literature to assess how conservation goals were defined, vulnerability assessments performed and adaptation strategies incorporated into the design and management of existing or new MPAs. Our analysis revealed that 82% of real-world examples of climate change adaptation in MPA planning derive from tropical reefs, highlighting the need for research in other ecosystems and habitat types. We found contrasting recommendations for adaptation strategies at the planning stage, either focusing only on climate refugia, or aiming for representative protection of areas encompassing the full range of expected climate change impacts. Recommendations for MPA management were more unified and focused on adaptative management approaches. Lastly, we evaluate common barriers to adopting climate change adaptation strategies based on reviewing studies which conducted interviews with MPA managers and other conservation practitioners. This highlights a lack of scientific studies evaluating different adaptation strategies and shortcomings in current governance structures as two major barriers, and we discuss how these could be overcome. Our review provides a comprehensive synthesis of planning frameworks, case studies, adaptation strategies and management actions which can inform a more coordinated global effort to adapt existing and future MPA networks to continued climate change.

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have gained increasing popularity worldwide as tools for biodiversity conservation and management of human uses. This rise in popularity has been accompanied by an increasing body of scientific papers and books on MPA design and management, the vast majority of which are almost completely focused on coastal or insular MPAs. A small number of MPAs have also been established in the pelagic domain, however, these pelagic sites have been considered in isolation from coastal/insular MPAs, even when the sites are adjacent or nearby. Pelagic and coastal ecosystems are not at all isolated from each other, but interconnected both physically via the flow of water, and biologically, via the movement of organisms. In order to maximize the effectiveness of MPAs, it is suggested that spatial management planning encompass large areas that span both coastal and pelagic domains. This requires integrated, large‐scale spatial management, which may extend across borders and thus require international cooperation.Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Community perspectives of governance for effective management of marine protected areas in Malaysia

The physical, economic, and sociocultural displacement of local peoples from protected areas generates intense discussion among scholars and policy makers. To foster greater precision and clarity in these discussions, we used a conceptual framework from the political economy literature to examine different forms of human displacement from protected areas. Using marine protected areas (MPAs) to ground our analysis, we characterized the 5 types of property rights that are reallocated (lost, secured, and gained) through the establishment of protected areas. All forms of MPA "displacement" involve reallocation of property rights, but the specific types and bundles of rights lost, secured, and gained dramatically shape the magnitude, extent, and equity of MPA impacts--positive and negative--on governance, economic well-being, health, education, social capital, and culture. The impacts of reallocating rights to MPA resources vary within and among social groups, inducing changes in society, in patterns of resource use, and in the environment. To create more environmentally sustainable and socially just conservation practice, a critical next step in conservation social science research is to document and explain variation in the social impacts of protected areas.

The incorporation of ecological connectivity, the unimpeded movement of species and the flow of natural processes that sustain life on Earth, into protected area design and management is critical to achieving conservation outcomes. However, the understanding and implementation of ecological connectivity in marine protected areas (MPAs) lags behind that of their terrestrial counterparts. Here, we highlight the important role of ecological connectivity in the design and management of MPA networks through an introduction to marine connectivity and the challenges and benefits of incorporating it into management. The paper also provides guidance for policy and practice, including “rules of thumb” for incorporating connectivity into MPA design and management, and case studies. MPA managers have the potential to increase the effectiveness, adaptability, and resilience of the resources under their stewardship through the purposeful incorporation of ecological connectivity into MPA design and management.