Measuring Marine Protected Areas’ Conservation Effort: A Different Look at Three Deeply-Rooted Illusions

Résumé En

As a major tool for policies to protect biodiversity, the current idea of Marine ProtectedAreas is based on a triptych (a status, a perimeter, and regulations) that is intended toensure their effectiveness, with the conservation effort assessed by adding up theclassified surface areas. Based on an international comparative analysis using 13differentiated case studies, we take another look at three founding illusions according towhich (a) the MPA status corresponds to protection (b) on the level of the classifiedperimeter, and (c) founded upon regulations laid down to be respected. Our analysisshows that the status is an activatable capital, whose activation may encounter variousobstacles that we have listed; that we should distinguish between two levels and types ofprotection, active and passive, rather than stick to the classified perimeter; that the lackof specific regulations means nothing with regard to the lack of protection; and that MPAswith a legal arsenal at their disposal use these rules first and foremost as a medium fordialogue with stakeholders, with various aims. This analysis leads us to specify whatMPAs actually are, and to suggest new means and indicators to assess the conservationefforts made.