Capacity shortfalls hinder the performance of marine protected areas globally

Gill, David; Mascia, Michael B.; Ahmadia, Gabby N.; Glew, Louise; Lester, Sarah E.; Barnes, Megan; Craigie, Ian D.; 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.

doi:10.1038/nature21708

Cited by 734 publications

(629 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…They add to other unanswered questions about this approach to management and its efficacy (Davidson 2012), such as the optimal size and placement of MPAs, whether they are useful for all components of a shark fauna including wide-ranging apex predators (Ward-Paige et al 2012) and mesopredators (White et al 2017), and the level of enforcement that is required to have desired effects for shark populations (Ward-Paige 2017). It is generally agreed that strict enforcement is paramount to the success of an MPA Dulvy 2006;Edgar et al 2014;Gill et al 2017), although even well-managed parks such as the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park have seen declines in common species of reef sharks due to illegal fishing in no-take zones ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence for rapid recovery of shark populations within a coral reef marine protected area

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Meekan

2018

Biological Conservation

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There is limited evidence on the rate at which the shark populations of coral reefs can rebound from over-exploitation, the baselines that might signify when recovery has occurred and the role of no-take Marine Protected Areas (MPA) in aiding this process. We surveyed shark assemblages at Ashmore Reef in Western Australia using baited remote underwater video Stations in 2004 prior to enforcement of MPA status and then again in 2016 after eight years of strict enforcement. We found an increase in the relative mean abundance of Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos from 0.16 ± 0.06 individuals/hr -1 in 2004 to 0.74 ± 0.11 individuals/hr -1 in 2016, a change that was also accompanied by a shift in the assemblage of sharks to greater proportions of apex species (from 7.1% to 11.9%) and reef sharks (from 28.6% to 57.6%), and a decrease in the proportional abundance of lower trophic level species (from 64.3% to 30.5%). Abundances and trophic assemblage of sharks at Ashmore Reef in 2004 resembled those of the Scott Reefs, where targeted fishing for sharks still occurs, whereas in 2016, abundances and trophic structures had recovered to resemble those of the Rowley Shoals, a reef system that has been a strictly enforced MPA for over 25 years. The shift in abundance and community structure coincident with strict enforcement of the MPA at Ashmore Reef has occurred at a rate greater than predicted by demographic models, implying the action of compensatory processes in recovery. Our study shows that shark communities can recover rapidly after exploitation in a well-managed no-take MPA.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence for rapid recovery of shark populations within a coral reef marine protected area

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Meekan

2018

Biological Conservation

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“…There are several problems with this scenario. First, science strongly argues that well-resourced local protection is essential to deliver favourable longterm outcomes [33,34]. Second, many studies of climate change impactsincluding my own -struggle to represent how organisms will actually respond to a highly dynamic, albeit increasingly stressful, environment and most ignore the scope of adaptation because of the uncertainties explained earlier.…”

Section: Managing the Oceansmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends and frontiers for the science and management of the oceans

Mumby

2017

Current Biology

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“…Thus, management plans may also be necessary to determine what activities are being managed within the MPA. Similarly, presence of an administrative structure indicates the ability to enforce regulations (Gill et al, 2017); without personnel and a budget, enforcement is impossible. These two criteria represent the Results are shown by number of individual MPAs, total marine area (km 2 ) and percent of ocean estate.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a recent assessment of how MPA management effects performance and biodiversity outcomes Gill et al (2017) identified 9 management indicators to evaluate effective MPAs. These indicators included legal designation, clearly defined boundaries, appropriate regulations, implemented management plans and sufficient administrative capacity, specifically staff, budget, and enforcement capacity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring MPAs in Continental North America: How Well Protected Are the Ocean Estates of Canada, Mexico, and the USA?

et al. 2017

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Marine protected areas (MPAs) are a well-established conservation strategy, employed around the world to protect important marine species and ecosystems and support the recovery of declining populations. The continental waters of North America contain remarkable biodiversity, but many species face increasing pressure from overexploitation, climate change, and other anthropogenic impacts. Canada, Mexico, and the USA have pledged to protect at least 10% of their marine and coastal waters by 2020 as signatories to the Convention on Biological Diversity, and have made efforts to establish MPAs. These MPAs vary widely in terms of levels of protection and designation processes; information that is not reflected in official statistics. To this end, we critically examined progress toward the CBD target for marine protection in continental North American waters to determine how well ocean ecosystems are protected by MPAs. We reviewed government data to determine whether MPAs met four criteria: legal designation, permanence, presence of an administrative structure, and a completed management plan. Sites that met all four criteria were categorized as "implemented." Any sites that failed to meet one or more criterion were considered "incompletely implemented" and excluded from the analysis. We also calculated the amount of "fully-protected" MPAs in which all extractive uses are prohibited. We found that <1% of North America's continental ocean is protected, and only 0.04% is fully-protected. Canada has the least area protected with just 0.11% in implemented MPAs, and 0.01% in fully-protected MPAs. Mexico and the USA have 1.62 and 1.29% in implemented MPAs, and 0.11 and 0.03% in fully-protected MPAs, respectively. Results show that many North American MPAs are incompletely implemented and therefore currently fail to provide adequate protection. The inclusion of such sites in official government statistics can inflate the perception of how much, and how well, the ocean is protected. We outline some of the major challenges to MPA establishment in each country and offer recommendations to increase the number and effectiveness of MPAs in North America.

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Capacity shortfalls hinder the performance of marine protected areas globally

Cited by 734 publications

References 60 publications

Evidence for rapid recovery of shark populations within a coral reef marine protected area

Evidence for rapid recovery of shark populations within a coral reef marine protected area

Trends and frontiers for the science and management of the oceans

Measuring MPAs in Continental North America: How Well Protected Are the Ocean Estates of Canada, Mexico, and the USA?

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