Speaker: Mark H. Carr, Professor at the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UC Santa Cruz
Professor Mark Carr is a coastal marine ecologist who has studied the science of marine protected areas (MPAs) since the 1990’s. From 2004 to 2011, he was a co-chair of the Science Advisory Team for the planning process of California’s state-wide network of MPAs. He has advised on and participated in the monitoring and evaluation of the California MPA network and Oregon State’s MPA system. He contributed to the IUCN Guidelines for conserving connectivity through ecological networks and corridors report, and is a member of the IUCN-WCPA Marine Connectivity Working Group.
Introduction:
California’s pioneering MPA network serves as one of the world’s best examples of regional-scale marine protection initiative. The California MPA network plan to conduct a review every 10 years. The recently completed review of MPA network monitoring data from 2012 to 2022 demonstrates the value of monitoring investments and the range of ecological benefits that MPA network can bring to the marine ecosystems. In addition, the experience of the California MPA network also indicates that monitoring projects require significant and sustained financial, human, and material support, as well as collaborative efforts between the scientists, communities, managers, and decision-makers. In the future, the monitoring project of the California MPA network may also help us understand how the MPA network contributes to addressing climate change.
This video introduces 8 principles of designing the California MPA network monitoring project, including:
Consider performance evaluation in MPA design
Evaluation must reflect MPA goals (conservation, fisheries, etc.)
Recognize diversity of ecosystems to evaluate and prioritize
Recognize the scale of a network and prioritize MPAs
Build monitoring capacity while designing the network
Develop a data management system
Start monitoring as soon as MPAs are identified
Adaptively manage the evaluation program
