Socio-economics strategies to increase the effectiveness of marine protect areas

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are a common management strategy for conserving biodiversity and halting the decline of marine resources. The number of MPAs is quickly growing around the globe to meet the international objectives established under the Convention on Biological Diversity. However, the formal creation of an MPA does not automatically ensure success, and numerous are the cases of protected areas that achieve their goals only partially. In certain instances, this leads to the occurrence of the so-called “paper parks”, referring to protected areas that completely fail to meet their conservation goals. Consequently, exploring the elements that contribute to MPA success or failure is essential for enhancing the effectiveness of this conservation strategy. I address this goal by performing a comprehensive literature review on the socio-economic strategies to improve MPA effectiveness globally. Our results highlight the role of stakeholders, particularly from the fishing sector, as the primary element for MPA success. Following, I convert the outcomes of the literature review into a Bayesian Network model to assist managers and decision-makers in developing effective MPAs by identifying which factors and stakeholder groups have the greatest impact on MPA success, and under what socio-economic scenario. The outcome is an is a user-friendly decision support system that measures the weight of each factor in developing a successful MPAs, thereby bridging the gap between science and decision-making and emphasizing the expected benefits associated with the different managerial choices. Next, I address the lack of socio-economic data on artisanal fisheries in Italy and the Mediterranean by offering a socio-economic characterization of the artisanal fishing community in the Tuscan Archipelago (GSA 9). Results show that the artisanal fishery is facing a deep crisis, marked by reduced catches, conflicts with the recreational sector, limited renewal of human and technical capital, and a general reluctance to explore new business opportunities. Nevertheless, many fishers recognized the need for change and showed early attempts to diversify their sea-related income streams, despite most of these attempts failing to find actual implementation due to a series of obstacles. I subsequently gathered the perspectives of artisanal fishers regarding MPAs and examined potential drivers for MPA support. Information was also collected regarding satisfaction with and involvement into current management. Numerous fishers share positive opinions about the MPA concept, as long as their participation is guaranteed. Finally, I employed Q methodology to gather the opinions from the artisanal fishing community regarding MPAs and their desired level of proactive engagement in the MPA life cycle, thereby assessing the factual interest of local fishers in playing a role in the local application of the success-factors highlighted in the global literature review. The survey highlighted a variety of perceptions regarding MPAs, indicating the presence of complex narratives around MPAs that transcend the basic dichotomy of “pro MPAs” versus “against MPAs.” Our research suggests that involving artisanal fishers in the establishment and management of MPAs could enhance MPA effectiveness in preserving coastal biodiversity and associated harvestable stocks. Our study has also pinpointed various leverage points for employing a bottom-up approach to marine resource management, considering the potential growth in MPA coverage in the Tuscan Archipelago, in alignment with the requirements of the EU Biodiversity Strategy.