Teams Like This
In coastal ecosystems, scientists and managers often encourage the use of marine protected areas (MPAs) and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) in order to provide both ecological and social benefits. This group is assessing the social, ecological, and political conditions in which the use of MPAs and OECMs are associated with positive outcomes for both people and nature, as well as the synergies and trade-offs that exist between multiple outcomes.
OUR APPROACH: Using data from seven coastal countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, we will identify how MPAs and OECMs contribute to successful outcomes under different political, social, and economic conditions, and will translate the results into a tool to help managers make related decisions in the future.
Understanding the relative effectiveness and enabling conditions of different area-based management tools is essential for supporting efforts that achieve positive biodiversity outcomes as area-based conservation coverage increases to meet newly set international targets. This study shows the effectiveness of Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) on producing measurable outcomes for coral reef biodiversity and the human communities.
Other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) represent unique opportunities to help achieve the 2030 biodiversity conservation agenda. However, potential misuse by governments and economic sectors could compromise the outcome of these conservation efforts. Here, we propose three ways to ensure that the application of OECMs toward meeting biodiversity targets provide benefits for both people and nature.
Coastal communities are on the frontlines of three accelerating global change drivers, climate change, blue growth, and the expansion of area-based conservation, leading to a “triple exposure” scenario. Despite efforts to maximize social benefits from climate, development, and conservation, externally driven processes can converge to amplify vulnerabilities and inequalities. This article offers recommendations to implementors to address these factors.
Wildlife Conservation Society
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University
Food and Agriculture Organization
WCS / University of Queensland
University of Michigan
RARE and Alliance for Conservation Evidence
Duke University
University of Waterloo
The Nature Conservancy
World Wildlife Fund
World Wildlife Fund and Alliance for Conservation Evidence
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of Waterloo and Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
IUCN, WCPA Task Force on OECMs
Wildlife Conservation Society Indonesia
Brock University
French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and Laboratoire d'Excellence CORAIL
Stanford University
University of Victoria
Wildlife Conservation Society
Wildlife Conservation Society Indonesia
Wildlife Conservation Society
Talanoa Consulting Fiji
Wildlife Conservation Society
Macquarie University
RARE Indonesia
Wildlife Conservation Society
FAO
NCEAS and University of California, Santa Barbara