Capacity shortfalls hinder the performance of marine protected areas globally.
Marine protected areas (MPAs) are increasingly being used globally to conserve marine resources. However, whether many MPAs are being effectively and equitably managed, and how MPA management influences substantive outcomes remain unknown. We developed a global database of management and fish population data (433 and 218 MPAs, respectively) to assess: MPA management processes; the effects of MPAs on fish populations; and relationships between management processes and ecological effects. Here we report that many MPAs failed to meet thresholds for effective and equitable management processes, with widespread shortfalls in staff and financial resources. Although 71% of MPAs positively influenced fish populations, these conservation impacts were highly variable. Staff and budget capacity were the strongest predictors of conservation impact: MPAs with adequate staff capacity had ecological effects 2.9 times greater than MPAs with inadequate capacity. Thus, continued global expansion of MPAs without adequate investment in human and financial capacity is likely to lead to sub-optimal conservation outcomes.
National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC), Annapolis, Maryland 21401, USA.|Luc Hoffmann Institute, World Wildlife Fund International, 1196 Gland, Switzerland.
David A
DA
Gill
Moore Center for Science, Conservation International, Arlington, Virginia 22202, USA.
Michael B
MB
Mascia
World Wildlife Fund US, Washington DC 20037, USA.
Gabby N
GN
Ahmadia
World Wildlife Fund US, Washington DC 20037, USA.
Louise
L
Glew
Department of Geography, Florida State University, Florida 32306, USA.
Sarah E
SE
Lester
Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia Campus, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.|Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, University of Hawaii, Honolulu HI 96822, USA.
Megan
M
Barnes
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia.
Ian
I
Craigie
Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, New York 10460, USA.
Emily S
ES
Darling
Department of Marine &Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901, USA.
Christopher M
CM
Free
Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK.|Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen E, Denmark.
Jonas
J
Geldmann
NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910, USA.
Susie
S
Holst
Department of Marine &Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901, USA.
Olaf P
OP
Jensen
Indo-Pacific Division, The Nature Conservancy, Honolulu, Hawaii 96817, USA.
Alan T
AT
White
Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Beaufort, North Carolina 28516, USA.
Xavier
X
Basurto
Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK.|Centre for International Forestry Research, Bogor (Barat) 16115, Indonesia.
Lauren
L
Coad
Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii 96744, USA.
Ruth D
RD
Gates
The Natural Capital Project, Stanford University, 371 Serra Mall, Stanford, California 94305-5020, USA.
Greg
G
Guannel
Marine Spatial Ecology Lab, School of Biological Sciences and ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, The University of Queensland, St Lucia Campus, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
Peter J
PJ
Mumby
UNEP - World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK.
Hannah
H
Thomas
CBER - University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
Sarah
S
Whitmee
WCPA-SSC Joint Task Force on Biodiversity and Protected Areas, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Quebec J9B 1T3, Canada.
Stephen
S
Woodley
World Wildlife Fund US, Washington DC 20037, USA.|National Geographic Society, Washington DC 20036, USA.
Helen E
HE
Fox
D000818:Animals; D059001:Aquatic Organisms; D018533:Biomass; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D004463:Ecology / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005399:Fishes; D006040:Goals; D038622:Internationality; D011157:Population Dynamics; D000078329:Workforce