Abstract
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are an important tool for management and conservation and play an increasingly recognised role in societal and human well-being. However, the assessment of MPAs often lacks a simultaneous consideration of ecological and socio-economic outcomes, and this can lead to misconceptions on the effectiveness of MPAs. In this perspective, we present a transdisciplinary approach based on the Delphi method for mapping and evaluating Marine Protected Areas for their ability to protect biodiversity while providing Ecosystem Services (ES) and related human well-being benefits – i.e., the ecosystem outputs from which people benefit. We highlight the need to include the human dimensions of marine protection in such assessments, given that the effectiveness of MPAs over time is conditional on the social, cultural and institutional contexts in which MPAs evolve. Our approach supports Ecosystem-Based Management and highlights the importance of MPAs in achieving restoration, conservation, and sustainable development objectives in relation to EU Directives such as the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive (MSPD), and the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
Highlights
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) play an increasingly important role in biodiversity conservation and restoration (Selig and Bruno, 2010; Edgar et al, 2014: Grorud-Colvert et al, 2014; Rasheed, 2020) and are an integral operational tool toward Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) (UNEPCBD, 1998; Morf et al, 2017; Bryhn et al, 2020)
The term MPA encompasses a wide range of areas, from areas that are closed to all activities and where resource extraction is forbidden to areas that are partially protected and where restrictions apply only to selected activities and uses (Partially Protected Marine Areas) (Morf et al, 2017)
MPAs need to incorporate Blue Justice in accordance with various UN principles (e.g., FAO, 2015) and Agenda, 2030 (Colglazier, 2015; United Nations, 2020) and to ensure equitable distribution of multiple monetary and nonmonetary benefits and values they provide (Belgrano and Villasante, 2020; Jentoft, 2020), in particular in relation to vulnerable coastal based communities and other social groups (Lopes and Villasante, 2018). In this Perspective paper, we propose a novel approach to assess the effectiveness of MPAs based on the ecosystem services (ES) they provide and their links with human well-being
Summary
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) play an increasingly important role in biodiversity conservation and restoration (Selig and Bruno, 2010; Edgar et al, 2014: Grorud-Colvert et al, 2014; Rasheed, 2020) and are an integral operational tool toward Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) (UNEPCBD, 1998; Morf et al, 2017; Bryhn et al, 2020). Effective communication of the benefits promoted by marine conservation ensures a successful engagement of key players (policymakers, stakeholders, managers, and the general public) with MPAs. Key element 5 of our MPA assessment questionnaire aims at evaluating whether the link between ES and the MPA under assessment is comprehensible by policymakers, stakeholders, users, and the general public and whether these key players accept and are satisfied with the MPA.
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