Abstract

Local and global threats are compromising the health of marine ecosystems and the ability of coastal communities to sustain their livelihoods and wellbeing from the ocean. This has led to calls for an increase in the size and number of managed marine areas. such as the recent IUCN target of 30% global coverage of marine protected areas (MPAs). However. marine conservation impacts are complex and nuanced. and rapidly increasing the size and number of restricted areas (e.g. no-take MPAs) is likely to have considerable social implications. particularly for resource-dependent populations. Here we present insights from ongoing research on evaluating the impacts of marine conservation. and discuss the role of management. governance. and context in shaping conservation outcomes. The goal of this work is to support decision makers and researchers with the knowledge and analytical tools to develop sustainable and equitable solutions to effectively conserve coastal ecosystems.

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