Cultural and socio-economic impacts of Mediterranean marine protected areas

Abstract

SummaryMarine protected areas (MPAs) may be important for protecting the marine environment, but they may also have substantial socio-cultural impacts about which very little is currently known, or acknowledged. In the Mediterranean, few data are available on the socioeconomic consequences of MPAs. The present study reviews the existing data on MPAs in Spain, France, Italy and Greece. A general increase in tourist activities in Mediterranean MPAs is evident, as are increases in the abundances of larger fish species, although there are no data indicating yields for fisheries increase adjacent to MPAs. A large increase in the number of divers and vessels using MPAs has already had impacts on natural benthic communities as a result of diver damage, mooring and the feeding of large fish by divers. Emphasis has been given in only a few MPAs to promoting public awareness of these impacts. Although the conservation of nature should be considered the fundamental objective of MPAs, neglecting their social, cultural and economic impacts has at times led to poor local consensus, if not hostility. We believe that planning and managing MPAs should be conducted on a multidisciplinary basis. Nonetheless, no single model can be considered valid for the whole Mediterranean. The very variable characteristics of coastal areas, from those of small uninhabited islands to those of cities, require different weightings to be assigned for each factor in order to achieve a durable equilibrium and realize the original objectives of each MPA. Only with such flexibility of management will it be possible to reach a greater understanding of the MPA system and create a lasting consensus in favour of conservation, a consensus which would mean an overwhelming majority of people actively avoiding damaging nature and preventing others from doing so.

Baseline study of the distribution of marine debris on soft-bottom habitats associated with trawling grounds in the northern Mediterranean

“…This higher density of fishing gear remains could be related to artisanal fishing activities occurring in these coastal marine protected areas, e.g. gillnets or long-lines (fishing gears that are deployed over the seabed, frequently rocky bottoms, and that can easily get entangled in the bottom and therefore abandoned there) (Gómez et al 2006, Badalamenti et al 2000, Sarda et al 2012.…”

Effects of rotational closure on coral reef fishes in Waikiki-Diamond Head Fishery Management Area, Oahu, Hawaii

“…However, a nearly inevitable consequence of prohibiting fishing will be some cost or loss of utility to excluded user groups including recreational and commercial fishers (Badalamenti et al 2000, Sladek Nowlis & Friedlander 2005. Over time, spillover of adult fishes or enhanced export of larvae from no-take reserves may lead to net benefits to fishers in connected areas (McClanahan & Mangi 2000, Roberts et al 2001, 2004, Sladek Nowlis & Friedlander 2005; however, uncertainty as to the likely scale of such benefits in any given situation, together with the fact that protection needs to be effective for an extended period for a reserve to work as a fishery management tool (Russ & Alcala 1999), means that no-take reserves are not an unproblematic solution to balancing conservation with extractive use.…”

From measuring outcomes to providing inputs: Governance, management, and local development for more effective marine protected areas

“…Tourism has significant potential as an MPA financing mechanism [15,[64][65][66] and may lead to economic benefits at a broader scale; however, the level of local community benefit from and involvement in tourism can be minimal. Some MPAs, such as the Great Barrier Reef MPA in Australia [67], Mendes Island MPA in the Mediterranean [68], and Tsitskamma National Park in South Africa [69], have resulted in significant increases in tourism visitation and revenue [51,70]. A global study of 78 coral reef MPAs found that 75% of tourism jobs were retained locally [71].…”