Comparative analysis of marine-protected area effectiveness in the protection of marine mammals: Lessons learned and recommendations

Abstract

The aim of this study is to assess marine-protected areas’ (MPAs) effectiveness in the protection of marine mammals. With this purpose, the study analyzed the long-term population trend of four different species of marine mammals, geographically placed in distant MPAs. In addition, matching biophysical and governance indicators were identified in order to relate the different management approaches to the biological effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the respective MPA. The results show population recovery trends, providing empirical evidence that suggests the effectiveness of area-based protection measures in marine mammals. Moreover, a parallelism between the governance indicators and the biophysical ones supports that biological and management effectiveness are interrelated. On this basis, the biophysical indicator of human impact was discussed to be deeply related to the precautionary principle, which appears less efficient than the adaptive management. Finally, this study highlights the necessity to better monitor the effectiveness of MPAs in order to avoid paper parks and suggest future recommendations.