Effectiveness of Marine Protected
Areas (MPAs)
Fully protected marine protected areas (MPAs) are one of the most important fish management methods in the conservation toolbox.
Marine wildlife, such as sharks, rays, finfish, turtles and a host of other less iconic species, need refuge from the near constant threat of fishing; if not for their entire life-cycle, at least for part of it. Fully protected marine protected areas (MPAs) are one of the most important fish management methods in the conservation toolbox. A global goal has been set to fully protect 10% of the world’s seas by 2020. Currently, there are 6,500 MPAs protecting just over 2% of the world’s seas. MarAlliance identifies and recommends potential marine sites for protection and works with the managers, staff and a cohort of fishers from 13 protected areas in five countries to identify and integrate protective measures for large fish.
Our Projects
Restoring Science, Community Engagement, and Marine Tourism at the Gladden Spit and Silk Cayes Marine Reserve
This MarAlliance led project aims to establish contemporary knowledge of large and commercially important fish, and develop a basis for scientifically informed and community-based marine wildlife encounter tourism in Belize by focusing on one of Belize’s iconic fish spawning aggregations (FSA) sites, Gladden Spit. The project will focus on four components that include inclusive monitoring, capacity building, information creation and dissemination for conservation management, and the development of a roadmap for long-term monitoring, responsible wildlife tourism and financial sustainability. Historically, Gladden Spit was economically important to the livelihood of stakeholder communities who fished the aggregation during the spawning season with many fishers subsequently participating in whale shark tourism from 1999 onwards.
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The decline in the aggregation size and seasonal predictability of whale sharks returning to the site has impacted local and national income, leaving all stakeholders wondering what became of the world’s largest fish at Gladden Spit. Through funding from the Belize Fund for Sustainable Future (BFSF) and support from the reserve co-manager and key project partner Southern Environmental Association (SEA), a three-year project was developed and being implemented to collaboratively investigate and understand the status of multiple species of commercially important finfish and other shark species at the FSA site across during peak spawning months, and identify factors that may have led to the disappearance of visiting whale sharks.
Project outputs include:
- A comprehensive assessment on the status of the FSA, and associated marine megafauna
- Capacity building for key stakeholders and local communities, using established and novel techniques to support rewilding of ecologically and economically important marine species at Gladden Spit
- Creation of clear communication instruments, capacities, and sustainable protocols/roadmap to support long-term monitoring and financial stability of the area.
This project is an opportunity to explore and develop new areas for tourism in Gladden Spit, once a jewel in the crown of Belize’s wildlife encounter tourism and protected areas network.
The “Restoring Science, Community Engagement, and Megafauna Tourism at Gladden Spit Marine Reserve” project seeks to revive the splendor of Gladden Spit’s waters and promote greater understanding of and coexistence with the marine environment by the communities it sustains by fusing scientific inquiry, historical relevance and community engagement.
Marine Protected Areas and Big Fish
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are increasingly used as a management tool and are considered a spatial management unit used to prohibit or restrict fishing or other destructive activities within a defined area. Although selected MPAs are fully protected, prohibiting fishing or any removal of marine wildlife, others enable multiple uses including recreational or artisanal fishing while restricting certain gears, such as nets and longlines. An MPA is often established to protect a culturally or socially important site, specific species or habitats, or important life-history stages of marine organisms. Despite often being narrowly defined, MPAs can have a protective effect on multiple species and taxa. However, much of the effectiveness of an MPA depends on leadership as well as the size, age, enforcement, remoteness and goals of the management area.
We are interested in testing the effectiveness of MPAs for marine megafauna, and especially highly mobile species such as sharks and rays. Studies have shown that MPAs with strong enforcement can have very positive effects on populations of site-faithful sharks. However, for many highly migratory species, an MPA might only protect individuals for a portion of their life-cycle.
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We have now found that in several Caribbean countries, the abundance of sharks and rays is not necessarily higher inside an MPA. This begs the question: is there a type of MPA that can be effective for protecting mobile sharks and rays?
We believe that this is dependent on the organism, and that managers should focus on broader scales and a place greater onus on developing compliance to enable effective management. Rather than restricting fishing for specific species, much greater impacts can be made by prohibiting – or better yet – incentivising a move away from destructive fishing practices. By restricting gears such as longlines and gillnets, not only will sharks be better protected, but so will turtles, corals, and other reef-associated finfishes including herbivorous and recreational fish that are protected in Belize. In short, fishing effort is made more equitable and the ecosystem can be protected without completely restricting access to fishing grounds.
