mation, skills, tools, and processes needed to foster effective MPAs. The
results of the needs assessment will guide the National MPA Center as it begins to design
services and products to support a national network of MPAs.
Overview of the Marine Protected Areas Needs Assessment
A 12-member planning team of individuals from NOAA and the Department of the Interior (DOI)
advised CSC on the MPA needs assessment. Although numerous audiences may look to the
National MPA Center for information and assistance, the team agreed that this initial, nine-
month assessment should focus on the needs of coastal and marine resource managers. This
target audience included both site managers and their staffs, as well as state, regional, and
federal managers. A wide range of MPA stakeholders was consulted, since input from groups
such as fishing interests and tourism providers gave important perspectives on management
issues and processes. The assessment examined the gap between current and desired
knowledge, skills, and tools needed for effective MPA management, and identified potential
strategies and tools for filling those gaps.
Four objectives were defined for the assessment:
· What: Identify overall challenges surrounding MPA management, as well as specific
gaps in existing knowledge and skills of marine resource managers regarding key MPA
issues.
· Why: Determine attitudes, motivations, and disincentives that could impact managers
capacity to benefit from new information, training, or technical assistance.
· Who: Identify subgroups of MPA managers that may benefit most from information,
training, and technical assistance.
· How: Identify formats and distribution methods that will maximize the utility of
information, products, and services.
Recognizing the multidisciplinary, multijurisdictional nature of marine resource issues, the MPA
needs assessment looked at needs across levels of government, across marine uses, and
across the categories of science, education and outreach, and training and technical assistance.
Similarly, identified needs cover multiple disciplines and call for action by different levels of
government.
Methodology
Although a number of needs had been identified by the National MPA Center before this project
began, a formal assessment provided a systematic approach to identifying and documenting
managers needs. Certain issues and stakeholder concerns have received a great amount of
attention during individual MPA efforts, but the needs assessment provided an opportunity to
hear from a wide range of stakeholders on a variety of MPA-related issues.
Multiple methods were used to gather information for the needs assessment, but the majority of
ideas came from focus groups and phone interviews, since these formats allowed targeted, in-
depth discussion of management needs. A traditional literature review was also performed, and
CSC staff gleaned information from MPA-related meetings and from electronic discussion list MPA Needs Assessment Report Page
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postings over the nine-month period. Finally, a computer-assisted content analysis of news
media from the previous six years examined public opinion and awareness surrounding MPAs.
Results
Needs assessment results were organized under the three broad headings of 1) MPA-related
policy and legal issues/responsible authorities, 2) MPA-related science and technology, and 3)
MPA program implementation. Together these categories address 23 individual topic areas,
and each is summarized briefly below:
Section I: MPA-related policy and legal issues/responsible authorities
· Identifying MPA goals and defining MPA terminology: Individuals across stakeholder
groups repeatedly called for an articulation of MPA goals, and for clear and consistent
definitions of MPA-related terminology. Site managers need clear direction from upper-
level management on agency goals and involvement regarding MPAs.
· Integrating management across jurisdictions: MPA efforts are hindered by the current
lack of integration and cooperation between agencies involved in different aspects of
marine resource management. Integration is needed across levels of government,
across the land/sea interface, and across pieces of ocean policy legislation.
· Information sharing and management: Managers need accessible, comprehensive
information about coastal and marine resources and management.
· Intra- and interagency coordination and cooperation: Many MPA efforts are under way at
local, state, national, and international levels, and there is an overwhelming need for
coordination between the various public entities involved.
· Fisheries management issues: Long-standing fisheries issues were raised both as a
reason why MPAs are needed, and as a reason why MPA development is incredibly
complex and demands careful planning, stakeholder consultation, and adaptive
management.
Section II: MPA-related science and technology
· Inventorying and monitoring: Existing MPAs need more resources for inventorying and
monitoring, and any new MPA must incorporate these activities from the beginning.
· Mapping and spatial analysis: MPA managers need maps and spatial analysis tools to
define boundaries and resource locations, to help with planning processes, and to
contribute to public outreach and education efforts.
· Natural science needs: Four needs were raised repeatedly comprehensive habitat
information, larval transport research, evaluation of current closures, and modeling work.
· Social science needs: Social science work related to MPAs is extremely limited.
Research is needed on topics such as socioeconomic impacts, public opinions, and
cultural values.
· Science in management: To ensure that research is applied, scientists and managers
need to collaborate, and managers need improved mechanisms for accessing research
findings.
· Climate change: Sources felt managers are not dealing sufficiently with the topic of
climate change, and recommended both more research and planning for potential
impacts. MPA Needs Assessment Report Page
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Section III: MPA program implementation
· Public education and outreach: There is an overwhelming need for public education
about MPAs and about marine resources in general.
· Planning methods for identifying MPAs: Sources stressed the need for improved
planning methods. Zoning and geographic information system (GIS) technology were
highlighted as two specific tools that should be used in future planning efforts.
· Stakeholder/community involvement: Community participation needs to be made more
meaningful by including more stakeholders and extending beyond a few public meetings.
· Working with indigenous peoples: Indigenous peoples traditional connections to and
knowledge of marine resources make them critical, valuable participants in MPA
processes.
· Working with fishermen: Fishermens reliance on marine resources demands that they
be included in MPA processes and that efforts be made to enhance communication with
them. Fishermen also can contribute unique and detailed natural and social science
information to management efforts.
· Managing visitor impacts: MPA managers need to consider and address the ecological
and social impacts of increasing marine and coastal recreation.
· Historical and cultural issues: Resources with historical and cultural significance need to
be inventoried, monitored, and protected. Cultural knowledge is crucial to working
effectively with users.
· Enforcement: Current managers need more resources to deliver adequate enforcement,
and any new MPA efforts must plan for enforcement. New technologies need to be
explored, and agencies must join forces to maximize the impact of existing enforcement
resources.
· Evaluating MPA effectiveness: Current and future MPAs must be evaluated to see if they
are meeting established goals, and to quantify impacts. Regional- and national-level
evaluations are needed to examine the efficacy of MPA networks.
· Funding: Site and regional managers need more resources to address gaps identified
throughout the assessment. Sustainable funding is a prerequisite for new MPA efforts,
and it is essential to pursue innovative sources.
· Growth and land-based threats: Several sources raised growth as an important issue,
and said that marine resource managers need to focus more on land-based threats.
· Site- and sector-specific issues: This final section presents several issues that did not
receive extensive discussion but that bear mentioning as current challenges that were
identified by individual areas, management entities, or user groups.
Two stand-alone sections of the report discuss managers information sources and the results of
the computer-assisted content analysis of MPA media. The needs assessment revealed that
managers utilize a wide range of information sources, which in turn means that new information
should be delivered in multiple formats. Content analysis findings reinforced the need for pubic
education and outreach on MPAs, and demonstrated that marine areas are important for a host
of environmental, social, commercial, and recreational values.
Discussion
The report concludes with a brief summary of overarching, crosscutting needs, followed by
several possible areas for further assessment. (Please note that these topics are not in any
priority order.) MPA Needs Assessment Report Page
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Crosscutting needs
·
Partner wherever possible: The results of the assessment demonstrate that a network of
both public and private support must be identified, fostered, and coordinated to provide
effective assistance to the resource managers who are working to protect our nations
marine re