Marine protected areas: Science, policy & management

Marine protected areas (MPAs) generate powerful interactions between social, economic and environmental interests, manifest at a circumscribed and often local scale. Consequently the designation and management of an individual MPA typically plays out in microcosm the general challenge of sustainable development in the marine environment. Some universally relevant questions relating to four commonly held defining attributes of MPAs are articulated. However, while many of the questions are universal, in practice the answers vary greatly. Consequently there are few MPAs which would not provide an informative case study elucidating the dynamics at the intersection between science, policy and management in the marine realm. The papers in this collection exemplify a range of key issues across this spectrum of disciplines. In practice most contentious issues relate to the balance within MPAs between environmental and socio-economic considerations, not least relating to fishing. In this respect greater attention in MPA management plans, to the economic benefits of MPAs for local communities is encouraged. However we also recognise that glib assertions that a secure sustainable balance between conservation and exploitation can be established in practice, typically with few resources in a largely unseen and often data-poor environment, may sometimes be politically expedient but scientifically questionable. Yet it is ultimately the work of all those involved directly with MPAs to collectively achieve the task of transforming the rhetoric of marine conservation policy into a successful reality on the ground and we commend the authors of this collection for their efforts to achieve that goal.