{"title":"Measurements, mechanisms, and management recommendations for how marine protected areas can provide climate resilience","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.marpol.2024.106419","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The number of marine protected areas (MPAs) implemented globally is rising, with calls to protect 30 % of the ocean by 2030. One potential benefit of MPAs is increased resilience to anthropogenic climate change impacts. However, realistic ecological expectations are needed to identify the conditions that may yield resilience benefits and determine effective evaluation methods. To date, global meta-analyses have consistently shown positive ecological effects of protection, yet assessing resilience effects has been more complex. 'Resilience' is challenging to define and measure and may manifest at various spatiotemporal scales. Additionally, identifying an appropriate reference point to quantify resilience is challenging. Robust assessments require long time series to estimate variability or opportunistic observation of disturbance and recovery. Such data are not always available. We suggest an alternative, complementary approach. First, it is crucial to define the ecological and socioeconomic mechanisms by which an MPA could provide any resilience benefit to the human-natural system; these mechanisms are both limited and context-dependent. Then, we can measure indicators of resilience to assess the contribution of such mechanisms inside MPAs. This provides a pathway to assess how conservation influences adaptive capacity, overcoming the challenge of directly measuring resilience itself. Finally, it is critical to recognize that MPAs are only one tool in a portfolio of management actions that could improve resilience. They should not be misconstrued as standalone solutions, but rather as integral parts of a comprehensive approach to ecosystem-based sustainability management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48427,"journal":{"name":"Marine Policy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Marine Policy","FirstCategoryId":"90","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X24004196","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The number of marine protected areas (MPAs) implemented globally is rising, with calls to protect 30 % of the ocean by 2030. One potential benefit of MPAs is increased resilience to anthropogenic climate change impacts. However, realistic ecological expectations are needed to identify the conditions that may yield resilience benefits and determine effective evaluation methods. To date, global meta-analyses have consistently shown positive ecological effects of protection, yet assessing resilience effects has been more complex. 'Resilience' is challenging to define and measure and may manifest at various spatiotemporal scales. Additionally, identifying an appropriate reference point to quantify resilience is challenging. Robust assessments require long time series to estimate variability or opportunistic observation of disturbance and recovery. Such data are not always available. We suggest an alternative, complementary approach. First, it is crucial to define the ecological and socioeconomic mechanisms by which an MPA could provide any resilience benefit to the human-natural system; these mechanisms are both limited and context-dependent. Then, we can measure indicators of resilience to assess the contribution of such mechanisms inside MPAs. This provides a pathway to assess how conservation influences adaptive capacity, overcoming the challenge of directly measuring resilience itself. Finally, it is critical to recognize that MPAs are only one tool in a portfolio of management actions that could improve resilience. They should not be misconstrued as standalone solutions, but rather as integral parts of a comprehensive approach to ecosystem-based sustainability management.
期刊介绍:
Marine Policy is the leading journal of ocean policy studies. It offers researchers, analysts and policy makers a unique combination of analyses in the principal social science disciplines relevant to the formulation of marine policy. Major articles are contributed by specialists in marine affairs, including marine economists and marine resource managers, political scientists, marine scientists, international lawyers, geographers and anthropologists. Drawing on their expertise and research, the journal covers: international, regional and national marine policies; institutional arrangements for the management and regulation of marine activities, including fisheries and shipping; conflict resolution; marine pollution and environment; conservation and use of marine resources. Regular features of Marine Policy include research reports, conference reports and reports on current developments to keep readers up-to-date with the latest developments and research in ocean affairs.