Implementation and management#
Description#
Implementation of an MPA and its management is based on the control of human activities. Such control can be implemented by: Establishing area boundaries for specific activities, i.e. zoning, including defining no-take areas Enforcing closure during parts of the year critical to the life histories of certain species, or for longer periods Setting size limits, maximum permitted catches and harvest limits on fisheries Prohibiting or limiting destructive practices Issuing permits to control or limit the number of participants engaged in a form of use Limiting access by setting a carrying capacity which may not be exceeded.
It is also essential to control activities outside the MPA boundaries that may affect the long-term viability of the MPA. Some control can be achieved by the creation of contiguous terrestrial protected areas. Local government may have an important role to play in controlling development and other activities in adjacent coastal areas, as a form of integrated coastal management.
Kelleher, G. (1999). Guidelines for Marine Protected Areas. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. xxiv +107pp.
Integrated Ecological-Socio-Economic Management Framework - ESE Step-by-Step guidance (with test site examples and lessons learned). Deliverable D4.5 under under the WP4 of MSP4BIO project (GA n° 101060707). In preparation: expected July 2025.