Global conservation outcomes depend on marine protected areas with five key features

GRAHAM J. EDGAR; RICK D. STUART-SMITH; TREVOR J. WILLIS; STUART KININMOTH; SUSAN C. BAKER; STUART BANKS; NEVILLE S. BARRET; MIKEL A. BECERRO; ANTHONY T. F. BERNARD; JUST BERKHOUT; COLIN D. BUXTON; STUART J. CAMPBELL; ANTONIA T. COOPER; MARLENE DAVEY; SOPHIE C. EDGAR; GUNTER FORSTERRA; DAVID E. GALVÁN; ALEJO J. IRIGOYEN; DAVID J. KUSHNER; RODRIGO MOURA; P. ED PARNEL; NICK T. SHEARS; GERMAN SOLER; ELISABETH M. A. STRAIN; RUSSELL J. THOMSON

NATURE

NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2014 vol. 506 p. 216 - 220

0028-0836

In line with global targets agreed under the Convention on Biological Diversity, the number of marine protected areas (MPAs) is increasing rapidly, yet socio-economic benefits generated byMPAsremain difficult to predict and under debate1,2.MPAs often fail to reach their full potential as a consequence of factors such as illegal harvesting, regulations that legally allow detrimental harvesting, or emigration of animals outside boundaries because of continuous habitat or inadequate size of reserve3?5. Here we show that the conservation benefits of 87 MPAs investigated worldwide increase exponentially with the accumulation of five key features: no take, well enforced, old (.10 years), large (.100km2), and isolated by deep water or sand. Using effective MPAs with four or five key features as an unfished standard, comparisons of underwater survey data from effectiveMPAs with predictions based on survey data from fished coasts indicate that total fish biomass has declined about two-thirds fromhistorical baselines as a result of fishing. Effective MPAs also had twice asmany large (.250mmtotal length) fish species per transect, five timesmore large fish biomass, and fourteen times more shark biomass than fished areas. Most (59%) of the MPAs studied had only one or two key features and were not ecologically distinguishable from fished sites. Our results show that global conservation targets based on area alone will not optimize protection ofmarine biodiversity.More emphasis is needed on better MPA design, durable management andcompliance to ensure thatMPAs achieve their desired conservation value.