scholarly journals Illegal fishing and compliance management in marine protected areas: a situational approach

Crime Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Damian Weekers ◽  
Gohar Petrossian ◽  
Lauric Thiault
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Boosted Regression Trees ◽  
Environmental Criminology ◽  
Wildlife Crime ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Marine Park ◽  
Spatio Temporal

AbstractProtected Areas (PAs) are spatially representative management tools that impose various levels of protection for conservation purposes. As spatially regulated places, ensuring compliance with the rules represents a key element of effective management and positive conservation outcomes. Wildlife crime, and in particular poaching, is a serious global problem that undermines the success of PAs. This study applies a socio-ecological approach to understanding the opportunity structure of illegal recreational fishing (poaching) in no-take zones in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. We use Boosted Regression Trees to predict the spatio-temporal distribution of poaching risk within no-take Marine National Park zones. The results show that five risk factors account for nearly three quarters (73.6%) of the relative importance for poaching in no-take zones and that temporally varying conditions influence risk across space. We discuss these findings through the theoretical lens of Environmental Criminology and suggest that law enforcement strategies focus on reducing the negative outcomes associated with poaching by limiting the opportunity of would-be offenders to undertake illegal activity.

Conservation Criminology: Modelling Offender Target Selection for Illegal Fishing in Marine Protected Areas

2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 1455-1477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damian P Weekers ◽  
Renee Zahnow ◽  
Lorraine Mazerolle
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Target Selection ◽  
Environmental Criminology ◽  
Wildlife Crime ◽  
The Past ◽  
Marine Park ◽  
Regional Population ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractThe emergence of conservation criminology over the past decade provides a unique insight into patterns of wildlife crime. Wildlife crime has a dramatic impact on many vulnerable species and represents a significant challenge to the management of protected areas around the world. This paper contributes to the field of conservation criminology by examining the travel patterns of fishing poachers in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in Australia. The results demonstrate that distance is a key feature of offender target selection, reflecting the established environmental criminology concept of distance decay. The analysis also reveals a significant relationship between individual no-take zones and regional population areas. The applicability of a nodal-oriented approach to wildlife crime prevention is discussed.

scholarly journals Regional Management of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction in the Western Indian Ocean: State of Play and Possible Ways Forward

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 765-796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glen Wright ◽  
Julien Rochette
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Western Indian Ocean ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
International Organisations ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Regional Management ◽  
National Jurisdiction ◽  
Regional Organisations

Abstract In recent years, the international community has become increasingly aware of the growing threats to marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (abnj), and international discussions on a new international legally binding are underway. In parallel, some States, through regional organisations, have progressively extended their activities into abnj, particularly through the development of area-based management tools (abmts). In this article, we consider how actors in the Western Indian Ocean (wio) might engage in abnj governance. In particular, we develop some possible scenarios for developing abmts in the wio, including through the development of fisheries closures, the establishment of marine protected areas (mpas), and the adoption of abmts under the auspices of relevant international organisations. We conclude that while the wio is currently not the most advanced region in terms of ongoing efforts to improve the governance of abnj, there are already some positive signals and promising options for the future.

scholarly journals Rangers can't be with every elephant: assessing rangers' perceptions of a community, problem-solving policing model for protected areas

Oryx ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
William D. Moreto ◽  
Richard Charlton
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Conservation Policy ◽  
Front Line ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Wildlife Crime ◽  
Illegal Activities ◽  
Study Participants

AbstractRecent studies have highlighted that illegal activities occurring within protected areas, including the poaching of fauna and flora, cannot be addressed with increased law enforcement alone. Moreover, research on the increasingly militarized nature of front-line conservation efforts has pointed to potentially detrimental aspects of such approaches. This has led to a shift in focus to identifying ways to further engage local communities in the prevention and reduction of wildlife crimes. However, few studies have examined the potential for changing the responsibilities of front-line conservation personnel or their views on such changes. Such insight is vital in forecasting the successful adoption of, or possible resistance towards, a more community-oriented policy. We examined rangers’ perceptions in Uganda to assess their attitudes towards traditional enforcement strategies and alternative, non-enforcement approaches for reducing illegal activities in protected areas. Our findings suggest that although respondents believed that traditional enforcement strategies (e.g. foot patrols) are important and effective in reducing wildlife crime, these strategies on their own were insufficient to address illegal activities. Study participants emphasized the importance of expanding the role of front-line rangers, in line with approaches suggested in the policing literature. We discuss the implications of our findings for transdisciplinary conservation science research and front-line conservation policy and practice.

Evaluating the ecological effects of Mediterranean marine protected areas: habitat, scale and the natural variability of ecosystems

2000 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.A. GARCÍA CHARTON ◽  
I.D. WILLIAMS ◽  
A. PÉREZ RUZAFA ◽  
M. MILAZZO ◽  
R. CHEMELLO ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Natural Variability ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Nested Designs ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Habitat Scale ◽  
Physical Elements

The capability to detect and predict the responses of marine populations and communities to the establishment of marine protected areas (MPAs) depends on the ability to distinguish between the influences of management and natural variability due to the effects of factors other than protection. Thus, it is important to understand and quantify the magnitude and range of this natural variability at each scale of observation. Here we review the scale of responses of target populations and communities to protection within Mediterranean MPAs, against their ‘normal’ spatio-temporal heterogeneity, and compare those with documented cases from other temperate and tropical marine ecosystems. Additionally, we approach the problem of the relative importance of habitat structure, considered as a set of biological and physical elements of the seascape hierarchically arranged in space at multiple scales, to drive natural variability. We conclude that much more effort has to be made to characterize heterogeneity in relation to Mediterranean MPAs, and to quantify and explain relationships between target species and their habitats as sources of such variability. These studies should be based on sound sampling designs, which (1) generate long-term data sets, and would ideally (2) be based on a Mediterranean-wide comparison of a number of protected and unprotected localities, (3) be designed from a multi-scaled perspective, and (4) control for factors other than protection, in order to avoid their confounding effects. The need for appropriate spatial and temporal replication, nested designs and power analysis is advocated.

scholarly journals Optimizing enforcement and compliance in offshore marine protected areas: a case study from Cocos Island, Costa Rica

Oryx ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Arias ◽  
Robert L. Pressey ◽  
Rhondda E. Jones ◽  
Jorge G. Álvarez-Romero ◽  
Joshua E. Cinner
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Peer Pressure ◽  
World Heritage Site ◽  
Illegal Fishing ◽  
Space And Time ◽  
Cocos Island

AbstractIllegal exploitation of resources is a cause of environmental degradation worldwide. The effectiveness of conservation initiatives such as marine protected areas relies on users' compliance with regulations. Although compliance can be motivated by social norms (e.g. peer pressure and legitimacy), some enforcement is commonly necessary. Enforcement is expensive, particularly in areas far from land, but costs can be reduced by optimizing enforcement. We present a case study of how enforcement could be optimized at Cocos Island National Park, Costa Rica, an offshore protected area and World Heritage Site. By analysing patrol records we determined the spatial and temporal distribution of illegal fishing and its relationship to patrol effort. Illegal fishing was concentrated on a seamount within the Park and peaked during the third year-quarter, probably as a result of oceanographic conditions. The lunar cycle in conjunction with the time of year significantly influenced the occurrence of incursions. The predictability of illegal fishing in space and time facilitates the optimization of patrol effort. Repeat offenders are common in the Park and we suggest that unenforced regulations and weak governance are partly to blame. We provide recommendations for efficient distribution of patrol effort in space and time, establishing adequate governance and policy, and designing marine protected areas to improve compliance. Our methods and recommendations are applicable to other protected areas and managed natural resources.

scholarly journals The role of marine protected areas in environmental management

2008 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Jennings
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Fishery Management ◽  
Scientific Advice ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
High Level

Abstract Jennings, S. 2009. The role of marine protected areas in environmental management. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66: 16–21. Marine protected areas (MPAs) are one of several tools used to meet management objectives for the marine environment. These objectives reflect political and societal views, and increasingly reconcile fishery and conservation concerns, a consequence of common high-level drivers, such as the World Summit on Sustainable Development. The contribution of MPAs to meeting objectives should be assessed in conjunction with other tools, taking account of the management systems of which they are part. Many of the same factors determine the success of MPAs and other management tools, such as quality of governance and the social and economic situation of people using marine goods and services. Diverse legislation governs MPA designation. Designation could be simplified by prearranged and prenegotiated agreements among all relevant authorities. Agreements could specify how to make trade-offs among objectives, interpret scientific advice, ensure effective engagement among authorities and stakeholders, deal with appeals, and support progressive improvement. The jurisdiction and competence of fishery management authorities mean that they are well placed to contribute to the design, designation, and enforcement of MPAs. Their strengths include well-established procedures for accessing scientific advice, the capacity to work across multiple jurisdictions, experience with MPA management, and access to vessels and personnel for enforcement.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Brazilian Marine Protected Areas for macro and mesopredators fish species

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara B Kennedy ◽  
Carlos W Hackradt ◽  
João L Feitosa ◽  
Fabiana C Félix Hackradt
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Underwater Visual Census ◽  
Marine Food Webs ◽  
Top Predators ◽  
Spatial Management ◽  
Mean Size ◽  
Fish Group ◽  
Marine Food

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are important spatial management tools for fish populations by protecting them completely or partially from extractive human uses. As a result an increase of fish density, biomass and size of target species are readily observed within their limits. In this work we aimed to verify the effectiveness of Brazilian MPAs regarding the protection of macro and mesopredators fishes, due to the high fishing pressure exert above them. Four MPAs located within coral reef zones were selected, and were collected using underwater visual census, following a Beyond-BACI design. Inside MPAs were observed higher abundance (F=2,06; p<0,05), biomass (F=1,7; p<0,05) and mean size values (F=1,8; p<0,05) for macrocarnivores fish group only. Although not significant, greater mesopredator abundance was observed outside protected areas, however higher biomass was found inside MPAs. These results suggest that despite the conservation objectives by which MPAs were created for they are effective in providing safe refugee from fisheries for high trophic level species such as serranids. In the absence of top predators mesopredators species increased in numbers, revealing how fisheries can affect the top down regulation of marine food webs.

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