Abstract

Marine reserves are an increasingly popular tool to achieve a variety of marine conservation goals. Scientific studies of marine reserves are accumulating rapidly, providing data on the biological impacts of reserve protection for a wide variety of geographic locations and organisms. By conducting a comprehensive survey of peer-reviewed scientific literature, we compiled a global database of studies documenting biological effects (density, biomass, individual size, or species diversity) from fully protected marine reserves. Our meta-analysis demonstrates that marine reserves have strong, positive effects on the density and biomass of organisms, the mean size of many species, and the community diversity within reserve borders. Trophic level and commercial importance also influence the strength of these effects. We show that marine reserves have similar positive impacts in both temperate and tropical ecosystems. A new educational booklet, The Science of Marine Reserves, incorporates this and other recent scientific findings about marine reserves into an easily understood format for the general public. The Latin American and Caribbean version of the booklet uses examples from the region and from around the globe to demonstrate key concepts about marine reserves. Important topics include the results of the global meta-analysis, demonstrating positive effects inside reserves, as well as effects outside reserves and considerations for marine reserve design. This booklet is intended to facilitate communication about the biological impacts of marine reserves among scientists, interest groups, NGOs, academic institutions, and management agencies. The booklet is now freely available. For more information, please visit: http://www.piscoweb.org/outreach/pubs/reserves

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