Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Republic of Mauritius: A Case Study integrating perceptions of fisheries restrictions and collaborative partnerships to support future MPA creation and implementation

Abstract:

By 2030, at least 30% of the ocean will need to be protected against climate change impacts and human stressors like overfishing. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) offer a means to do so, but only 2% of oceans globally are fully protected. Fundamental, global changes in the designation and implementation of MPAs are needed for effective and equitable management and area-based, ecologically-representative conservation measures. Current research suggests poor management of existing MPAs is due primarily to non-compliance, a lack of technical skills to assess MPA effectiveness, and inadequate collaborative partnerships. As a result, MPAs fail to provide their expected ecological and social benefits (e.g. coral reef recovery, increased fish biomass and revenue from fishing). In this study, we aim to understand the factors which influence fishers’ compliance with MPA regulations in the Republic of Mauritius, an island nation in the Indian Ocean, as a case study for island nations worldwide which are aiming to increase their MPA coverage. Our results are based on 1,415 household (35% of which were fisher households) and 57 key informant surveys along the coast of the islands of Mauritius. We present results from our survey study which investigated perceptions of community members living around MPAs with varying levels of restrictions and varying levels of community engagement, with implications for designing and implementing future MPAs. We find that collaborative partnerships between coastal resource users, civil society, scientists and policy makers affect the creation and successful implementation of effective MPAs.