Planning MPAs and creating stable agreements: Lessons learned from California’s Marine Life Protection Act process

Planning MPAs and creating stable agreements: Lessons learned from California’s Marine Life Protection Act process

By Scott McCreary

MPA planning takes many forms.  Some are highly technocratic and depend on command-and-control regulation to be implemented.  Others are more "stakeholder-driven" but depend on an ultimate decision-making authority.  Still others could be fully consensus-seeking. 

Emerging practice suggests that MPAs should be planned in consultation with the full range of affected stakeholders in a region.  But exactly how should that consultative planning process be structured and how can it be most successful?  This article argues that without proper process design, the outcomes that result from such planning are not always stable. 

Planning MPAs and creating stable agreements: Lessons learned from California’s Marine Life Protection Act process

New techniques for responding to coral bleaching in MPAs

In May 2016, the MPA News staff had an opportunity to snorkel the 306-km2 Bar Reef Marine Sanctuary in northwest Sri Lanka. Located in a sparsely populated area of Sri Lanka and billed as having the most pristine coral reef in the country, the MPA has 156 species of...
From the Editor: Take advantage of the MEAM archives

From the Editor: Take advantage of the MEAM archives

Dear MEAM readers, In October of last year, MEAM launched a new feature, ‘From the Archives’, that calls attention to past MEAM articles whose perspectives and insight remain relevant. This issue’s From the Archives article, “Getting business on board: Engaging...
From the Editor: Take advantage of the MEAM archives

Planning for equity and social justice in ocean use

Equity and social justice concerns are intrinsic to all ocean planning processes. Some groups benefit more, or are perceived to benefit more, than others in terms of continued or new access to space and resources. The way stakeholders view the fairness of ocean...