Marine scientists are hoping to flip the script on the status quo between conservation efforts and the immediacy of rewards that they bring, by pitching a new concept they call Marine Prosperity Areas – a play on the widely used Marine Protected Areas – to measuring the positive impact safeguarded ocean space has on society, in real time.

Concocted by leading scientists and economists from UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the idea focuses on aligning human well-being with the restoration of designated marine and coastal environments.

It marks a more “holistic approach” to marine conservation with a framework that seeks to use “targeted financial investments” to enhance human prosperity during periods of active ecological restoration.

In other words -and in recognition that failed conservation efforts have primarily done so because of the financial strain felt by communities committed to them – it’s a framework that wants to reduce the lag-time between nature restoration efforts being undertaken and the results of all that labour coming into fruition.

To work, however, the authors of the study – a paper published this month in the scientific journal Frontiers in Marine Science – say it will need the backing of governments, non-governmental organisations, and local stakeholders to champion these Marine Prosperity Areas as a ‘cornerstone of global conservation efforts’ as they commit to the “investments and partnerships necessary to build a sustainable future”. 

“Conservation often demands sacrifices today for benefits decades in the future – an unrealistic expectation for communities facing immediate socio-economic pressures,” said Octavio Aburto, an associate professor of marine biology at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and lead author on the paper.

“Our model of Marine Prosperity Areas addresses this challenge, outlining how human prosperity can be improved while we wait for ecological recovery. By strategically aligning recovery efforts, it is possible for both people and ecosystems to thrive.”

It is the belief of those behind the paper – one titled, Marine Prosperity Areas: A framework for aligning ecological restoration and human well-being using area-based protections – that these Marine Prosperity Areas have the power to become a leading tool in achieving global conservation targets.

This includes the ’30 by 30′ target set by the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, an international commitment to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030. 

The new framework builds on several decades of research on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), fisheries, and coastal habitats in Baja California Peninsula, Mexico, and throughout the Gulf of California – one of the world’s most important marine hotspots.

The authors were spurred to develop an idea that transformed the current model for implementing marine protections owing to their collective belief that – despite the decades of efforts – there has never been a unifying framework. 

This new model, therefore, looks to employ strategic financial investments and tailored community partnerships to align the realms of ecological conservation, economic growth, environmental responsibility, and social policy – ultimately benefiting both people and the planet.

The team uses the example that in marine areas with great natural beauty, seed funding could promote ecotourism by supporting community-based diving or snorkelling enterprises. In other areas, small grants could help locals establish sustainable aquaculture initiatives or fund technological efforts to create artificial reefs for environmental restoration.

The overall focus of the concept is to nurture opportunities for community members to diversify their livelihoods, sustainably manage natural resources, and drive economic growth. 

“The concept of Marine Prosperity Areas can help us to bridge the gap between environmental and social outcomes,” said study co-author Alfredo Giron, a Scripps Oceanography alumnus now serving as head of the World Economic Forum’s Ocean Action Agenda and Friends of the Ocean Action.

“It gives us the opportunity to understand that nature and people are inextricably linked and as such, a marine management plan has to pursue outcomes for both.”

It’s an ambitious plan and one for which success will hinge on effectively engaging communities with its long-term vision. And there are plenty of examples of such success; the establishment of Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park in 1995, for example. 

Located in Baja California Sur, Mexico, this small ‘no-take’ marine reserve was once depleted by decades of overfishing and pollution. A collaborative conservation effort led by scientists, the Mexican government, and the Cabo Pulmo community – including local fishermen – has allowed fish populations to replenish and recover, benefiting both the ocean environment and economy.

Recognising that – where communities have failed to be integrated and they have been struck with financial challenges as they awaited the long road to ecosystem recovery – not all marine protection efforts have been successful, however, the new framework seeks to remedy this by proactively funding efforts to support human prosperity, rather than passively relying on ecosystem recovery to catalyse social change and economic growth.

It also seeks to accommodate the interests and needs of a wide range of stakeholders, including those in the economic sector dependent on extractive and non-extractive uses of the marine environment, as well as Indigenous peoples, local communities, and other underserved groups.

“It will be crucial to maintain a long-term commitment from all stakeholders, both in terms of funds and support, to navigate the complexities and ensure the framework’s goals are achieved,” said Valentina Platzgummer, coordinator of the Conservation Leadership Programme and researcher at the Centro para la Biodiversidad Marine y la Conservacion, AC. 

Already, there’s a strong desire from many individuals and organisations to contribute to and support such an initiative. It’s a collective sense of partnerships such as this, say the authors, that will be crucial to the long-term success of any conservation effort.

“This eagerness to collaborate is essential and I am confident that with organised and focused efforts, we can achieve the systemic change needed to protect and sustain our oceans,” study co-author Rocio Abud Mirabent, director of Fundacion Coppel, an organisation that works with partners to improve the lives of people in Mexico.

“The vision of Marine Prosperity Areas is not only achievable but essential for our collective well-being in the face of growing environmental and social challenges.”

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