Status of management effort in 153 marine protected areas across the English Channel

• Published in: Marine pollution bulletin 2015-05, Vol.94 (1-2), p.168-175
• Main Authors: Rodríguez-Rodríguez, D., Sciberras, M., Foster, N.L., Attrill, M.J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Conservation of Natural Resources - legislation & jurisprudence; Conservation outcomes; England; English Channel; Environment; Environmental Policy; Humans; Management effort; Marine; Marine protected area; Multiple-use; Oceans and Seas; Sub-level of protection
• ISSN: 0025-326X; 1879-3363
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.02.036

•A conceptual framework for assessing level and sub-level of protection is presented.•Management effort in 153 multiple-use MPAs in the English Channel was assessed.•83.70% of the MPAs assessed were assigned medium management effort.•No correlation was found between management effort and conservation status.•Low consistency in the ratings by different management bodies in England was found. A conceptual framework was developed for assessing the sub-level of protection in 185 multiple-use marine protected areas (MPAs) in the English Channel through a survey on management effort. Data were retrieved from 153 MPAs: 4.56% were assigned low management effort, 83.70% were assigned medium management effort, and 11.76% were assigned high management effort. Overall, French MPAs performed better in terms of management effort than English MPAs and lack of consistency in ratings by different management bodies in England was found. Lack of correlation between management effort and conservation status within an available subset of 13 MPAs suggests that management may not be as influential a factor for the effective conservation of MPAs, especially in marine environments under heavy human pressure such as the English Channel. It is suggested that MPAs in such areas may therefore require an upgrade of their legal level of protection to be effective.