Expanding the Toolkit Using marine protected areas to teach a socio-ecological approach to conservation
By Shannon Subers T
O ADDRESS THE MANY THREATS to our oceans, we must educate citizens and future conserva- tionists alike to be “ocean-literate.” An essential part
of this teaching is acknowledging that conservation cannot be achieved by science alone. Successful conservation solu- tions address not only the environmental aspect of an issue, but also its associated social, cultural, political, and economic factors. Thus, we must equip learners with an interdisciplin- ary toolkit. One way to create such a toolkit is using case studies to show a more holistic approach to conservation. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are planned with a mix of ecological, socio-cultural, economic, and political factors in mind, so they are useful examples for demonstrating both the complexity of achieving conservation goals and that human dimensions are critical for the success or failure of a pro- tected area. By going a step further and replicating the MPA planning process in the classroom, students learn about the process, not just the product, of conservation, while experi- encing to what extent conservationists use an interdisciplin- ary toolkit. The lessons below include inquiry-based activi- ties that take high school students through a mock planning process, allowing them to experience problems that planners encounter when creating a protected area. These place-based science activities can be adapted to highlight aquatic or ter- restrial conservation issues in your particular region.
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Protecting the oceans The ocean covers 71% of the Earth’s surface, yet it represents an under-studied source of our planet’s biodiversity.1
ably, given how much of Earth is blue, an underwhelming 3.5% of our oceans is protected.2
The global biodiversity
decline is faster than ever, but its effects on the ocean are not fully understood.3
Regardless, there has been a large-scale
effort to section off areas of the ocean as “sanctuaries” for wildlife. These sanctuaries, the aforementioned MPAs, are ecologically-valuable parts of our oceans, bays, and (in the US) lakes that have been given special government protec- tion. Ecological factors such as the distribution of endangered species, the number of attendant endemic species, and habitat connectivity are important in ensuring that MPAs protect resources; however, case studies show that various social, economic, and political factors are critical in predicting long- term success.2,5,6,7,8
In other words, human pressures can determine MPAs’ success or failure.4 Consequently, resource
managers have emphasized the need for securing community support early in the planning process. Research has shown that without the support of nearby communities, MPAs are less effective in protecting key resources.4,5
Specifically, a
lack of support from locals can lead to a variety of prob- lems such as residents who do not understand the value of an MPA accidentally or willfully violating fishing regulations. Communities may also harbor hostility towards an MPA that impedes on traditional cultural, recreational, or economic
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Remark-
Photos by Shannon Subers
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