scholarly journals Limited uptake of protected area evaluation systems among managers and decision-makers in Spain and the Mediterranean Sea

2015 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 237-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. RODRÍGUEZ-RODRÍGUEZ ◽  
J. MARTÍNEZ-VEGA ◽  
M. TEMPESTA ◽  
M. M. OTERO-VILLANUEVA

SUMMARYProtected areas are regarded as the main strategy to halt biodiversity loss; however, protected area effectiveness evaluations remain scarce and mostly rely on limited scientific evidence. Protected area managers from two case studies in the Mediterranean basin biodiversity hotspot (networks of Spanish terrestrial protected areas and individual Mediterranean marine protected areas) were surveyed to assess the use of two protected area evaluation systems: the ‘System for the Integrated Assessment of Protected Areas’ (SIAPA) and the ‘System for Quick Evaluation of Management in Mediterranean MPAs’ using the ‘Knowledge Systems for Sustainable Development’ framework. A second survey in Spain ascertained the degree of implementation of protected area evaluation systems and the institutional interest in implementing such systems. The main weaknesses attributable to the systems presented were limited salience (for the SIAPA) and legitimacy in terms of costs (for the System for Quick Evaluation of Management in Mediterranean MPAs). However, the main reasons for the limited uptake of the evaluation systems presented were not attributable to the systems themselves, but to management or institutional limitations: the lack of basic data for and weak institutional interest in evaluation in Spain, and the scarce resources available for evaluation in the case of some Mediterranean marine protected areas.

2018 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 91-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanaa Moussa ◽  
Mustapha Hassoun ◽  
Ghizlane Salhi ◽  
Hanaa Zbakh ◽  
Hassane Riadi

Abstract The Mediterranean basin is a marine biodiversity hot spot. Despite this, the macroalgal diversity of the Mediterranean Sea is still not fully known, especially in the Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) including, Al-Hoceima National Park of Morocco (PNAH). This paper provides the first comprehensive checklist of the seaweeds of PNAH, based chiefly on our own original collections, and complimented by literature records. Using present-day taxonomy, the total number of taxa at both specific and infraspecific levels currently accepted   is 306 taxa with 207 Rhodophyta (39 families), 51 Ochrophyta (13 families) and 48 Chlorophyta (12 families). Ninety five of these species were not found in our samples, 93 were new to the PNAH, and the taxonomic identity of 26 taxa was amended. From the totality of taxa, ten species were reported for the first time from Morocco: 9 Rhodophyta and one green alga. Furthermore, 12 others species (10 red, 1 brown and 1 green alga) are new records for the Mediterranean coast of Morocco. Besides this, confirmed records are mentioned for 20 species, whether in Africa, in Morocco or in the Moroccan Mediterranean coast. This accessible checklist to the international community could serve as an infrastructure for future algal investigations of the taxa in this Specially Protected Area of Mediterranean Importance. Key words: Al-Hoceima National Park, Checklist, Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas, Morocco, Seaweeds. Resumen Lista de algas marinas del Parque Nacional de Alhucemas en Marruecos (Área Marina Protegida del Mediterráneo) La cuenca del Mediterráneo es un Hot Spot de biodiversidad marina. Aún así, la diversidad de macroalgas del Mediterráneo no está plenamente conocida, especialmente en las Áreas Marinas Protegidas del Mediterráneo (AMP) incluido el Parque Nacional de Alhucemas en Marruecos (PNAH). Este documento proporciona la primera lista exhaustiva de las algas marinas del PNAH. Usando la taxonomía actual, el número total de taxones a niveles específicos y infraespecíficos actualmente aceptados es de 306 taxones con 207 Rhodophyta (39 familias), 51 Ochrophyta (13 familias) y 48 Chlorophyta (12 familias). Noventa y cinco de estas especies no se encontraron en nuestras muestras, 93 eran nuevas en el PNAH y se modificó la identidad taxonómica de 26 taxones. De la totalidad de las macroalgas, 10 especies (9 Rhodophyta y 1 Ulvophyceae) fueron registradas por primera vez desde Marruecos. Además, 12 otras especies (10 Rhodophyta, 1 Phaeophyceae y 1 Ulvophyceae) son nuevos registros para la costa mediterránea de Marruecos. También, se mencionan los registros confirmados de 20 especies, ya sea en África, en Marruecos o en la costa mediterránea marroquí. Esta lista de algas accesibles a la comunidad internacional podría servir como una infraestructura para futuras investigaciones algales de los taxones en esta zona especialmente protegida de importancia para el Mediterráneo. Palabras clave: Parque Nacional de Alhucemas, Lista de algas, Áreas Marinas Protegidas del Mediterráneo, Marruecos, Algas marinas. 


2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie Hogg ◽  
Pedro Noguera-Méndez ◽  
María Semitiel-García ◽  
María Giménez-Casalduero

Marine protected areas (MPAs) raise serious challenges in terms of their governance. By applying a participatory approach co-management can help in overcoming many of the deficiencies of top-down management processes. Yet, despite benefits of co-management, it is still found to be the exception in the Mediterranean. This paper provides a review of co-management and the prospects for decentralisation in the European Mediterranean. The role of social capital (SC) in co-management is discussed and a framework for SC and participation to attain effective co-management is proposed.


FACETS ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 531-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura E. Coristine ◽  
Aerin L. Jacob ◽  
Richard Schuster ◽  
Sarah P. Otto ◽  
Nancy E. Baron ◽  
...  

Biodiversity is intrinsically linked to the health of our planet—and its people. Yet, increasingly, human activities are causing the extinction of species, degrading ecosystems, and reducing nature’s resilience to climate change and other threats. As a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Canada has a legal responsibility to protect 17% of land and freshwater by 2020. Currently, Canada has protected ∼10% of its terrestrial lands, requiring a marked increase in the pace and focus of protection over the next three years. Given the distribution, extent, and geography of Canada’s current protected areas, systematic conservation planning would provide decision-makers with a ranking of the potential for new protected area sites to stem biodiversity loss and preserve functioning ecosystems. Here, we identify five key principles for identifying lands that are likely to make the greatest contribution to reversing biodiversity declines and ensuring biodiversity persistence into the future. We identify current gaps and integrate principles of protecting ( i) species at risk, ( ii) representative ecosystems, ( iii) intact wilderness, ( iv) connectivity, and ( v) climate refugia. This spatially explicit assessment is intended as an ecological foundation that, when integrated with social, economic and governance considerations, would support evidence-based protected area decision-making in Canada.


2000 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 352
Author(s):  
Mark Westera

Guidelines to marine protected areas is a collation of efforts from the IUCN, NOAA and Cardiff University, among others. It is aimed at managers and would be managers of marine parks, but will also be of use to anyone involved in the Marine Protected Area (MPA) process from conceptual planning to establishment, monitoring and management. Its broad application takes into account the hurdles that a manager is likely to encounter. There are nine sections, an introduction, an evaluation of the legal framework required to successfully establish MPAs, a discussion on dealing with all the relevant parties, involving communities and other stakeholders, site selection, planning and managing MPAs, zoning, evaluating economic aspect and financial sustainability, and finally a section on research, monitoring and review. Boxes are used throughout the text within each chapter to summarize important points and make for quick reference to the topic of that chapter.


2020 ◽  
Vol 244 ◽  
pp. 108531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan J. Bennett ◽  
Antonio Calò ◽  
Antonio Di Franco ◽  
Federico Niccolini ◽  
Daniela Marzo ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 847-855
Author(s):  
Mariano J. Aznar

Abstract Spain has just declared a new marine protected area in the Mediterranean. This follows a protective trend taken by Spanish authorities during the last decades and has permitted Spain to honour its international compromises under the Convention on Biological Diversity. It contributes to a framework of protected areas established under conventional regimes such as OSPAR, RAMSAR or EU Natura 2000. The new area protects a ‘cetacean corridor’ and will be inscribed in the list of Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance under the Barcelona Convention regional framework.


2015 ◽  
Vol 370 (1681) ◽  
pp. 20140283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian D. Craigie ◽  
Megan D. Barnes ◽  
Jonas Geldmann ◽  
Stephen Woodley

Globally, protected areas are the most commonly used tools to halt biodiversity loss. Yet, some are failing to adequately conserve the biodiversity they contain. There is an urgent need for knowledge on how to make them function more effectively. Impact evaluation methods provide a set of tools that could yield this knowledge. However, rigorous outcome-focused impact evaluation is not yet used as extensively as it could be in protected area management. We examine the role of international protected area funding agencies in facilitating the use of impact evaluation. These agencies are influential stakeholders as they allocate hundreds of millions of dollars annually to support protected areas, creating a unique opportunity to shape how the conservation funds are spent globally. We identify key barriers to the use of impact evaluation, detail how large funders are uniquely placed to overcome many of these, and highlight the potential benefits if impact evaluation is used more extensively.


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