Navigating future uncertainty in marine protected area governance: lessons from the Scottish MPA network

Hopkins, Charlotte Rachael; Bailey, David Mark; Potts, Tavis

Abstract

As international pressure for marine protection has increased, Scotland has increased spatial protection through the development of a Marine Protected Area (MPA) network. Few MPA networks to date have included specific considerations of climate change in the design, monitoring or management of the network. The Scottish MPA network followed a feature-led approach to identify a series of MPAs across the Scottish marine area and incorporated the diverse views of many different stakeholders. This feature led approach has led to wide ranging opinions and understandings regarding the success of the MPA network. Translating ideas of success into a policy approach whilst also considering how climate change may affect these ideas of success is a complex challenge. This paper presents the results of a Delphi process that aimed to facilitate clear communication between academics, policy makers and stakeholders in order to identify specific climate change considerations applicable to the Scottish MPA network. This study engaged a group of academic and non-academic stakeholders to discuss potential options that could be translated into an operational process for management of the MPA network. The results of Delphi process discussion are presented with the output of a management matrix tool, which could aid in future decisions for MPA management under scenarios of climate change.

Citation

Hopkins, C. R., Bailey, D. M., & Potts, T. (2018). Navigating future uncertainty in marine protected area governance: lessons from the Scottish MPA network. Estuarine, coastal and shelf science, 207, 303-311. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2018.04.020

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 18, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Apr 25, 2018
• Publication Date: Jul 31, 2018
• Deposit Date: Aug 20, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 21, 2019
• Journal: Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science
• Print ISSN: 0272-7714
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 207
• Pages: 303-311
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2018.04.020
• Keywords: Climate change; Delphi technique; MPA management; Marine protected area network; Scotland
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/2484979
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272771417310600?via%3Dihub
• Additional Information: ©2019, Elsevier. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/