MPA News
Mexico creates North America’s largest fully protected MPA
By Juan E. Bezaury-Creel, Francisco Ursúa-Guerrero, César Sánchez-Ibarra, and David Gutiérrez-Carbonell
The Revillagigedo National Park was designated by Mexico’s President Enrique Peña Nieto on 27 November 2017, exactly one hundred years after the country´s first national park was created. Revillagigedo is now continental North America´s largest fully protected MPA, covering 148,087 km² – almost twice the size of Panama. No fishing activities, mining, or oil extraction will be allowed within the national park, and only strictly regulated marine tourism activities from liveaboards will be permitted.
“These were the barriers I kept coming up against”: How an ecologist-turned-manager documented the scientific obstacles to MPA management, and his advice to improve the situation
Three years ago, Chris Cvitanovic and a team of researchers published a study that found that only 14% of the information cited in MPA management plans was from primary scientific sources – from journals, in other words. One reason for this shortfall was that most journal articles require expensive subscriptions, which managers and their agencies cannot afford. This study was the first to document a significant obstacle for MPA managers: management is supposed to be science-based, but most of the science is hidden behind paywalls. Unfortunately the situation has not improved much for MPA managers since that 2014 study. Below,…
How to find free science articles for your MPA
Much of the scientific research that could be useful to MPA management is in journals with expensive subscription fees, which managers and their agencies often can’t afford. Here are some tips on how to access science articles for free: Instead of simply searching for science on Google, search Google Scholar. Google Scholar does a better job of finding free versions of journal articles. If a free PDF version of an article is available, a link to it will appear to the right of each search result in Google Scholar. If you find an interesting paper but it is behind a…
MPA Science Corner: Lessons from GBR rezoning – Overlaps in protected area designations – Perceptions of ecosystem services
These recent articles on MPA-related science and policy are all free to access. Article: “Effective Public Participation is Fundamental for Marine Conservation – Lessons from a Large-Scale MPA”, Coastal Management 45, 470 – 486 (2017) Finding: The Representative Areas Program (RAP) was a key component of the widely acclaimed rezoning of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, and although completed in 2003, many lessons learned are still relevant today. This paper provides an analysis of the comprehensive public participation program that significantly influenced the final planning outcome, and discusses 25 lessons from it. Article: “Measuring the extent of overlaps in…
What do you wish you knew when you got started in MPAs?: Arthur Tuda
Much of what we learn – in the MPA field and in life in general – comes to us informally. We receive advice from a colleague, we figure out something ourselves, or we see what works through trial and error. This kind of knowledge can be invaluable. In our November issue, MPA News asked practitioners what they wished they had known when they got started in MPAs. We are continuing to ask that question. This month’s response is from Arthur Tuda. Arthur is Head of Ecosystems and Landscape Conservation and Management at the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). Previously he served for…
Blue Solution: A science-based management model to protect isolated and vulnerable subantarctic ecosystems
The subantarctic ecosystems of the French Southern Lands (Terres australes françaises, or TAF) consist of several small island groups and their surrounding waters in the southern Indian Ocean. None are permanently inhabited by humans. The ecosystems are relatively unique by virtue of their location and isolation, and are viewed as particularly vulnerable to pressures, from fishing to climate change. Nonetheless, the remoteness has historically made researching, surveilling, and supplying the areas a challenge, leaving data gaps.
Notes & News: ‘Most Beautiful Office’ contest – Clarification – Arctic fishing ban – Ross Sea – Great Barrier Reef – Trump – Genetics – MPA success stories – MPA funding – Mediterranean – MPAs and sustainable development – Russian MPA – MPA News vault
Contest: “Most Beautiful Office” MPA News’ “Most Beautiful Office” contest continues! Some MPA managers, planners, and conservationists work in relatively plain office buildings – but others work in beachfront villas, or on-the-water ranger stations, or in an actual royal castle. Do you work in a beautiful office? If so, please send us a photo! We will print entries in MPA News and invite readers to vote in our February 2018 issue. The winner will be named “Most Beautiful MPA Office in the World” and receive a limited-edition MPA News tote bag. Please send your entry to mpanews@openchannels.org. Good luck! Clarification…
What do you know now that you wish you knew when you got started in MPAs? Insights from practitioners
Much of what we learn – in the MPA field and in life in general – is not from formal education. It comes from learning it ourselves, or receiving advice from a colleague, or simply trial and error. This kind of knowledge is often difficult to find anywhere else. In the 18 years that MPA News has been in publication, we have asked practitioners for lessons learned, and practices developed. We have published numerous tips on how to work more efficiently or effectively. But we have not asked you for the most fundamental, essential advice you have gained from your…
Perspective: In building your MPA career, go outside your comfort zone and take calculated risks
By Jon Day
When I started my undergraduate university course in the early 1970s, my interests were the natural sciences. I didn’t really know what career I wanted, other than I was keen to work outdoors, so a degree around conservation sounded interesting.
Proposal for East Antarctic system of MPAs falls short again of international consensus
In October 2017, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) fell short again of reaching consensus on a proposal to designate a large new system of MPAs off the coast of East Antarctica. But objections to the plan are narrowing. First put forward in 2012 by Australia, France, and the European Union, the proposal has undergone several changes since then to address concerns of CCAMLR members. The changes have included downsizing the proposal from 1.8 million km2 to roughly 1 million km2, and from seven distinct protected areas in the proposed system to three. The sites…