Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Gill, David A.
• Mascia, Michael B.
• Ahmadia, Gabby N.
• Glew, Louise
• Lester, Sarah E.
• Barnes, Megan
• Craigie, Ian
• Darling, Emily S.
• Free, Christopher M.
• Geldmann, Jonas
• Holst, Susie
• Jensen, Olaf P.
• White, Alan T.
• Basurto, Xavier
• Coad, Lauren
• Gates, Ruth D.
• Guannel, Greg
• Mumby, Peter J.
• Thomas, Hannah
• Whitmee, Sarah
• Woodley, Stephen
• Fox, Helen E.

Titel

Capacity shortfalls hinder the performance of marine protected areas globally

Ist Teil von

• Nature (London), 2017-03, Vol.543 (7647), p.665-669

Ort / Verlag

London: Nature Publishing Group UK

Erscheinungsjahr

2017

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Marine protected areas (MPAs) are increasingly being used globally to conserve marine resources. However, whether many MPAs are being effectively and equitably managed, and how MPA management influences substantive outcomes remain unknown. We developed a global database of management and fish population data (433 and 218 MPAs, respectively) to assess: MPA management processes; the effects of MPAs on fish populations; and relationships between management processes and ecological effects. Here we report that many MPAs failed to meet thresholds for effective and equitable management processes, with widespread shortfalls in staff and financial resources. Although 71% of MPAs positively influenced fish populations, these conservation impacts were highly variable. Staff and budget capacity were the strongest predictors of conservation impact: MPAs with adequate staff capacity had ecological effects 2.9 times greater than MPAs with inadequate capacity. Thus, continued global expansion of MPAs without adequate investment in human and financial capacity is likely to lead to sub-optimal conservation outcomes. Although 71% of marine protected areas are benefiting fish populations, their effects are highly variable, with staff capacity proving to be the most important explanatory variable. Staff needed to safeguard seas Marine protected areas are proliferating quickly in the hope of safeguarding marine resources. Here David Gill and colleagues show that inadequate staffing capacity is compromising the efficacy of marine protected areas globally. They analyse fish biomass and management data for marine protected areas around the world and find that, although 71% of these protected areas are benefiting fish populations, the effects are highly variable. Staff capacity was identified as the most important explanatory variable, accounting for around 19% of the variation in the benefits of marine protection. They suggest that continued expansion of marine protected areas around the globe without adequate investment in human and financial capacity could limit marine conservation outcomes.