Balancing Protection and Production in Ocean Conservation

The global biodiversity and climate crises have heightened the need for protecting and sustainably managing ocean resources. Integrating ocean protection (MPAs and OECMs) with the blue economy's sustainable production (pelagic fisheries) is essential but scientifically underdeveloped and contested, creating challenges for practitioners. Vital science is needed, especially in pelagic ecosystems, to help countries meet global conservation and sustainable development targets as set by the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the High Seas Treaty. These frameworks drive the establishment of more MPAs and OECMs to meet the “30 by 30” target. Increased protections and sustainable production are frequently in tension, which is an old problem that pits economic development and human rights against biodiversity protections.

This tension is particularly pressing in pelagic ecosystems, where large-scale “blue water” MPAs intersect with pelagic migratory fisheries management. The practitioner community faces increased pressure to reconcile economic development with the opportunity costs of protected areas, a task exacerbated by current economic stresses and the ongoing biodiversity and climate crisis. Therefore, there is a need for interdisciplinary scientific efforts to integrate large-scale protected areas with the sustainable development of the blue economy. Currently, science for protection and production operate separately, hindering integrated solutions.

Three Research Fields to Prioritize

To reach global ambitions of the “30 by 30” target while securing the benefits of the blue economy, three research fields must be prioritized. This involves increasing scientific attention to integrated solutions that combine protected area planning and management with sustainable development of vital ocean economy sectors.

Resolving the Science Underpinning Blue Water MPAs and Pelagic Fisheries Management

Governments, foundations, and research funds need to invest in the science that underpins blue water MPAs and their integration with pelagic fisheries management. Achieving the “30 by 30” target requires blue water MPAs, which have been proliferating. However, the establishment of these MPAs is outpacing scientific evidence of their conservation impact and threat reduction for biodiversity in pelagic habitats.

Fundamental science is needed to guide the design and implementation of blue water MPAs to evaluate and understand the impacts on habitats, species, ecosystem services, ecological processes, and socio-economic performance. Many blue water MPAs lack the capacity to address existing concerns like illegal fishing, limiting understanding of their benefits. While there has been significant research investment in fisheries management, major data gaps exist that hinder the integration of fisheries management with blue water MPAs.

Research on blue water MPAs and pelagic fisheries largely operates separately. The nascent science on large-scale MPAs presents an opportunity to understand how protections benefit ecosystem biodiversity and impact targeted and non-targeted species.

Confronting the Challenges of Blue Water MPA Science

Developing the scientific foundation for integrating MPAs and fisheries management in pelagic zones will be challenging because the ecology and physical environment of blue water ecosystems differ significantly from coastal seas. Migratory species can move vast distances, complicating fisheries management, and the biodiversity in deep-water and pelagic habitats remains largely unknown. Climate change is causing habitats to shift, and species are moving, presenting further challenges for existing management approaches. Several multi-stakeholder initiatives have identified key knowledge gaps related to the efficacy of blue water MPAs, design attributes, outcomes on fishery performance, and human dimensions issues.

Developing Economic Science and Financing Solutions

The economic science and conservation finance innovations to support blue water MPAs and pelagic fisheries need development, enabling communities and governments to support management actions for both protection and production in their jurisdictions long-term. The global Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the opportunity costs of protected areas, as countries faced financial pressures and difficult choices to rebuild their economies. The economic science and financial dimensions of blue water MPAs remain under-developed, relative to the direct revenue generated from pelagic fisheries and other blue economy sectors.

New conservation financing approaches hold promise to support integrated protection and production solutions. Models like those in the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Seychelles demonstrate the potential for creating value from ocean resources to support both fisheries management improvements and finance protected areas. Other approaches, such as the Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) model, may also be worth exploring. These approaches need further acceleration and diversification to aid countries in achieving long-term economic security and natural capital benefits from well-managed MPAs and the blue economy.

Increased Social Science is Key to Support Equity and Justice

Social science is needed to enable social equity and justice as MPAs and fisheries interventions develop. Large blue water MPAs have been predominantly established in the sovereign waters of countries from the global south and overseas territories, sparking debates about social justice. Concerns about equity and proportionality are high among local ocean stakeholders and can be exacerbated by a mixed record with respect to engagement and outcomes. Developing countries have long faced pressures from larger interests regarding fish demand, creating inequitable outcomes for coastal communities.

Without considering equity, the disproportionate burden can translate into inequitable benefit-sharing between local communities and global actors. More social science and innovative methodologies are needed to assess the equity dimensions of blue water MPAs. This is important, given the global push to establish blue water MPAs and OECMs, and the socio-economic ramifications on developing countries. Integrating social science into planning and implementation processes is an imperative to balance equity and justice concerns.

Conclusions

President Surangel Whipps Jr of Palau highlighted the plight of small island developing nations and outlined a plan to balance the development of the blue economy with the protection of biodiversity and ecosystem health. The scientific and practitioner community needs to work together to integrate science that supports protection and sustains production at scale, addressing key knowledge gaps. The pandemic has exposed vulnerabilities but also created an opportunity for a broader community to support a healthy ocean.