ESE2 - Criteria for the representation of the social and economic dimension of MPAs#
Description#
ESE2 provides socio-economic and governance criteria to support the prioritization of proposals for new Marine Protected Areas, revised MPA boundaries, reallocations, and more. Collectively, these criteria provide a framework considering the MSP process and ensuring a comprehensive approach to decision-making. Regarding governance criteria, ESE2 is based on a common regulatory framework at the EU level which leads to a homogenization in prioritizing them across different sites. These criteria are generic and strategic for any MSP process, as well as for the designation or management of an MPA. This part of ESE2 presents, among the steps of an MSP process, the implementation of strategic planning, as well as the need for adaptive management through monitoring and feedback. Regarding the socio-economic criteria, these are expected to vary in relevance for the different sites. The relevance of socio-economic criteria depends on site-specific aspects such as national and local objectives, and the ecosystem under protection. ESE2 also provides links between socio-economic criteria and ecosystem services. It was ranked by all test sites in the 2nd CoP interaction. This component is of particular importance to be used in stakeholder consultation at site level, when comparing alternative scenarios for MPAs, within and outside of MSP processes.
Pegorelli et al. (2024). Criteria for the representation of the social and economic dimension of MPAs. Deliverable – D4.1., under the WP4 of MSP4BIO project (GA n° 101060707)).