Abstract

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are increasingly being employed as a tool to promote biodiversity conservation (Thomas et al. 2014), however, their implementation has had varying levels of success (Lester et al. 2009, Mascia et al. 2010). Results from numerous case studies suggest that MPA governance is a major factor in explaining this variation in MPA success (Pollnac et al. 2001, Walmsley and White 2003, McClanahan et al. 2006, Guidetti and Claudet 2010), however few studies have sought to examine the effects of MPA governance at multiple scales (Fox et al. 2014). Drawing upon the seminal work of Elinor Ostrom, the SESYNC MPA Pursuit is a two year project that seeks to identify the govern-ance and contextual factors that contribute to successful marine conservation outcomes. This research utilized a cross-disciplinary theoretical framework (Mascia et al., in prep) to test our central hypothesis that ecological outcomes at MPA sites are affected by governance. More specifically: inclusive decision making arrange-ments, active and accountable monitoring and enforcement systems, clearly defined and equitable resource user rights, and accessible conflict resolution mechanisms (Mascia 2004). This framework combines the hypotheses and classification system of Ostrom’s common pool resource theory and Social-Environmental System framework (Ostrom 1990, 2009, Agrawal 2003), together with the experimental procedures of impact evaluation (Ferraro 2009, Rosenbaum 2010). By developing and utilising a cross-disciplinary theoretical framework and a common analytic platform (i.e., database), the results provide considerable insights into the relationship between governance attributes and ecological outcomes. Using a novel compilation of datasets, we compiled ecological data from over 14,000 underwater surveys and govern-ance data from over 300 MPAs globally to explore the relationship between MPA governance and ecological outcomes at a global scale. While controlling for potentially confounding factors using a statistical matching process (Sekhon 2009), preliminary analyses of over 250 MPAs/MPA zones demonstrate (on average) increases in fish population metrics (e.g. species richness, total biomass) within MPA boundaries. Preliminary analyses also suggest that designating part or all of the MPA as a no-take zone enhances these metric levels even further. Detailed governance data were available in approximately 50 MPAs/MPA zones, and from that sample, the results show a positive relationship between governance attributes such as inclusive and established decision making arrangements and well-defined resource use rights, and fish biomass and species richness. These preliminary results appear to confirm and extend previous research on the relationships between MPA governance and performance (Mascia 2004, Fox et al. 2012), providing novel insights for evidence-based ocean policy. The datasets also include numerous sites with high quality ecological data from within the Caribbean, allowing for future analysis of governance-outcome linkages at a regional scale.

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