Weak Compliance Undermines the Success of No-Take Zones in a Large Government-Controlled Marine Protected Area

Abstract

The effectiveness of marine protected areas depends largely on whether people comply with the rules. We quantified temporal changes in benthic composition, reef fish biomass, and fishing effort among marine park zones (including no-take areas) to assess levels of compliance following the 2005 rezoning of the government-controlled Karimunjawa National Park (KNP), Indonesia. Four years after the rezoning awareness of fishing regulations was high amongst local fishers, ranging from 79.5±7.9 (SE) % for spatial restrictions to 97.7±1.2% for bans on the use of poisons. Despite this high awareness and strong compliance with gear restrictions, compliance with spatial restrictions was weak. In the four years following the rezoning reef fish biomass declined across all zones within KNP, with >50% reduction within the no-take Core and Protection Zones. These declines were primarily driven by decreases in the biomass of groups targeted by local fishers; planktivores, herbivores, piscivores, and invertivores. These declines in fish biomass were not driven by changes in habitat quality; coral cover increased in all zones, possibly as a result of a shift in fishing gears from those which can damage reefs (i.e., nets) to those which cause little direct damage (i.e., handlines and spears). Direct observations of fishing activities in 2009 revealed there was limited variation in fishing effort between zones in which fishing was allowed or prohibited. The apparent willingness of the KNP communities to comply with gear restrictions, but not spatial restrictions is difficult to explain and highlights the complexities of the social and economic dynamics that influence the ecological success of marine protected areas. Clearly the increased and high awareness of fishery restrictions following the rezoning is a positive step. The challenge now is to understand and foster the conditions that may facilitate compliance with spatial restrictions within KNP and marine parks worldwide.

Setting an ecological baseline prior to the bottom-up establishment of a marine protected area in Santorini island, Aegean Sea

“…When this prerequisite is not met, the MPA effects are substantially reduced or negligible (e.g. Montefalcone et al, 2009;Campbell et al, 2012;Guidetti et al, 2014).…”

“…These factors can prove to be more crucial for determining the success of an MPA than design factors, e.g. the size of the MPA (Pollnac et al, 2010;Daw et al, 2011;Campbell et al, 2012;Ferreira et al, 2015). In the Mediterranean Sea, there are few cases where stakeholders have been actively involved in MPA planning since the onset of the initiative.…”

Lack of recreational fishing compliance may compromise effectiveness of Rockfish Conservation Areas in British Columbia

“…In an age-structured model of Black Rockfish, Sethi and Hilborn (2008) found that high rates of poaching negated the biological and fishery benefits of implementing reserves. High rates of noncompliance in reserves have been found to limit recovery of fish communities empirically as well (Campbell et al 2012;Edgar et al 2014;McClanahan et al 2009;McCook et al 2010;Pollnac et al 2010). In an Indonesian marine reserve, Campbell et al (2012) found that low compliance with no-take zones resulted in decreases in fish biomass in all reserve zones despite an observed recovery in coral cover.…”

“…High rates of noncompliance in reserves have been found to limit recovery of fish communities empirically as well (Campbell et al 2012;Edgar et al 2014;McClanahan et al 2009;McCook et al 2010;Pollnac et al 2010). In an Indonesian marine reserve, Campbell et al (2012) found that low compliance with no-take zones resulted in decreases in fish biomass in all reserve zones despite an observed recovery in coral cover. In the Great Barrier Reef, McCook et al (2010) found that no-entry zones had a higher abundance of coral trout than no-take and fishing zones.…”

“…The effectiveness of marine reserves and marine protected areas (MPAs) depends on reducing or eliminating fishing pressure within their boundaries (Ainsworth et al 2012;Gaines et al 2010;Kritzer 2004;Sethi and Hilborn 2008). Reserves with high rates of noncompliance show limited recovery of fish communities (Ainsworth et al 2012;Campbell et al 2012;Kritzer 2004;McClanahan et al 2009), and compliance information can predict the recovery of fish biomass without incorporating any reserve design factors (Bergseth et al 2015). Furthermore, a global study of marine reserves identified enforcement as one of five key features that influenced effectiveness (Edgar et al 2014).…”