NCCOS Project Explorer (NPE)

Marine Protected Area Center West Coast Biogeographic Assessment and GAP Analysis(2009)

Project Description:
The Marine Protected Area Center and NCCOS Biogeography teams will design and implement a regional gap analysis for evaluating gaps in marine protection among the network of MPAs on the west coast of the US. In the U.S. and around the world, marine protected areas (MPAs) are increasingly recognized as an important and promising management tool for mitigating or buffering impacts to marine ecosystems. When used effectively and as a part of a broader ecosystem-based approach to management, MPAs can help to restore and maintain healthy marine environments by contributing to the overall protection of critical marine habitats and resources. In this way, effective MPAs also can offer social and economic opportunities for current and future generations, such as tourism, biotechnology, fishing, education, and scientific research. There are 296 existing MPAs along the US west coast that have been established by federal, state, territorial, and local governments to protect and conserve the nation’s rich natural and cultural marine heritage and sustainable production resources. These MPAs have been designated to achieve a myriad of conservation objectives, ranging from conservation of biodiversity hotspots, to preservation of sunken historic vessels, to protection of spawning aggregations important to commercial and recreational fisheries. Similarly, the level of protection provided by these MPAs ranges from no-take marine reserves to allowing multiple uses, including fishing. A subset of these MPAs will be used to develop an analytical concept to assess gaps in resource protection and will contain all marine waters from the shoreline to the EEZ extending from Point Conception in southern California to the US-Mexico border. A suite of biological and environmental data will be synthesized in GIS and used to evaluate gaps in resource protection. Additionally, levels of protection among the MPAs will be assessed to determine protection efficacy. Once the approach has been finalized for the subset study region, the method will be applied to the entire US west coast.

Expected Outcome:
This research will be the first examination of broadscale natural resource distribution and protection for the US west coast. Expected outcomes include identifying gaps in resource protection, determining an estimate of protection efficacy. This research will provide resource managers needed information to assess the national system of MPAs that can enhance further representation and conservation of biodiversity, ecological connectivity, stewardship. Social and economic benefits include increased tourism, sustained fisheries, and maintaining cultural heritage. This research is also intended to increase public awareness for marine conservation and provides the opportunity for enhanced educational capabilities. This research will also focus on enhancing MPA coordination and strategic planning. Results should highlight areas that are working well for a particular resource and will highlight gaps in protection. The national system of MPAs will serve as the framework to address the results of this research and is intended to stimulate cooperative efforts in planning, research and monitoring, enforcement and education. Human dimension products (being developed by MPAC) will also be included with the suite of natural resource data to provide an anthropogenic component to the analyses.