Enforcement and Implementation Crucial to Marine Protected Area Success:

Enforcement and Implementation Crucial to Marine Protected Area Success:
 
The importance of implementation and enforcement to wildlife conservation has been shown once again by two studies of marine protected areas (MPAs).  When marine protected areas are designated, the public and many policymakers often assume that they will be effective in protecting species but two studies show that this confidence is misplaced. MPA’s need to have the staff and budget and actually carry out enforcement activities or the desired results will not be achieved. In a 2014 article in Nature, J Edgar Graham et al. found 5 key factors that were associated with MPA no take, well enforced, old (10 years or older), large (100km2 or larger), and isolated by deep water or sand.  A more recent article by J. Gill et al. found that staff capacity was by far the single most important variable promoting success with budget capacity next in importance.  Qualitative data gathered  by the researchers explained the finding by noting that staff are needed in order to “to support monitoring, enforcement, administration, community engagement and sustainable tourism activities.”  The two articles are as follows: (1) J. Gill et al., “Capacity shortfalls hinder the Performance of marine protected areas globally.” Nature, 30 March 2017, 543, 665-669. (2) J. Graham Edgar et al.,  Global conservation outcomes depend on marine protected areas with five key features Global conservation outcomes depend on marine protected areas with five key features, Nature, 13 February, 2014, 216-220.  An article by Carl Safina in Ocean Views (March 28, 2017) provides a broad overview of these findings along with some great photos of marine protected areas. It is available at: https://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2017/03/28/experts-say-marine-protected-areas-are-great-but-could-be-better-with-more-staff-and-funding/