Assessing trade-offs in large marine protected areas

作者：Davies Tammy E^*; Epstein Graham; Aguilera Stacy E; Brooke Cassandra M; Cox Michael; Evans Louisa S; Maxwell Sara M; Nenadovic Mateja; Ban Natalie C

来源：PLos One, 2018, 13(4): e0195760.

DOI：10.1371/journal.pone.0195760

Large marine protected areas (LMPAs) are increasingly being established and have a high profile in marine conservation. LMPAs are expected to achieve multiple objectives, and because of their size are postulated to avoid trade-offs that are common in smaller MPAs. However, evaluations across multiple outcomes are lacking. We used a systematic approach to code several social and ecological outcomes of 12 LMPAs. We found evidence of three types of trade-offs: trade-offs between different ecological resources (supply trade-offs); trade-offs between ecological resource conditions and the well-being of resource users (supply-demand trade-offs); and trade-offs between the well-being outcomes of different resource users (demand trade-offs). We also found several divergent outcomes that were attributed to influences beyond the scope of the LMPA. We suggest that despite their size, trade-offs can develop in LMPAs and should be considered in planning and design. LMPAs may improve their performance across multiple social and ecological objectives if integrated with larger-scale conservation efforts.

• 出版日期2018-4-18