Smith Joshua G, Lopazanski Cori, Free Christopher M, Brun Julien, Anderson Clarissa, Carr Mark H, Claudet Joachim, Dugan Jenifer E, Eurich Jacob G, Francis Tessa B, Gill David A, Hamilton Scott L, Kaschner Kristin, Mouillot David, Raimondi Peter T, Starr Richard M, Ziegler Shelby L, Malone Daniel, Marraffini Michelle L, Parsons-Field Avrey, Spiecker Barbara, Yeager Mallarie, Nickols Kerry J, Caselle Jennifer E
National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA.
Conservation and Science Division, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, California, USA.
Conserv Biol. 2025 Aug;39(4):e14435. doi: 10.1111/cobi.14435. Epub 2025 Jan 9.
Marine protected areas (MPAs) are widely implemented tools for long-term ocean conservation and resource management. Assessments of MPA performance have largely focused on specific ecosystems individually and have rarely evaluated performance across multiple ecosystems either in an individual MPA or across an MPA network. We evaluated the conservation performance of 59 MPAs in California's large MPA network, which encompasses 4 primary ecosystems (surf zone, kelp forest, shallow reef, deep reef) and 4 bioregions, and identified MPA attributes that best explain performance. Using a meta-analytic framework, we evaluated the ability of MPAs to conserve fish biomass, richness, and diversity. At the scale of the network and for 3 of 4 regions, the biomass of species targeted by fishing was positively associated with the level of regulatory protection and was greater inside no-take MPAs, whereas species not targeted by fishing had similar biomass in MPAs and areas open to fishing. In contrast, species richness and diversity were not as strongly enhanced by MPA protection. The key features of conservation effectiveness included MPA age, preimplementation fisheries pressure, and habitat diversity. Important drivers of MPA effectiveness for single MPAs were consistent across MPAs in the network, spanning regions and ecosystems. With international targets aimed at protecting 30% of the world's oceans by 2030, MPA design and assessment frameworks should consider conservation performance at multiple ecologically relevant scales, from individual MPAs to MPA networks.
海洋保护区（MPAs）是广泛应用于长期海洋保护和资源管理的工具。对海洋保护区绩效的评估主要集中在个别特定生态系统上，很少评估单个海洋保护区或整个海洋保护区网络内多个生态系统的绩效。我们评估了加利福尼亚大型海洋保护区网络中59个海洋保护区的保护绩效，该网络涵盖4个主要生态系统（冲浪区、海带林、浅礁、深礁）和4个生物区域，并确定了最能解释绩效的海洋保护区属性。我们使用元分析框架，评估了海洋保护区保护鱼类生物量、丰富度和多样性的能力。在网络层面以及4个区域中的3个区域，捕捞目标物种的生物量与监管保护水平呈正相关，在禁捕海洋保护区内更高，而未被捕捞的物种在海洋保护区和开放捕捞区域的生物量相似。相比之下，海洋保护区保护并未同样有力地提高物种丰富度和多样性。保护成效的关键特征包括海洋保护区的年限、实施前的渔业压力和栖息地多样性。单个海洋保护区保护成效的重要驱动因素在整个网络的海洋保护区中是一致的，跨越不同区域和生态系统。鉴于国际目标是到2030年保护世界30%的海洋，海洋保护区的设计和评估框架应考虑从单个海洋保护区到海洋保护区网络等多个生态相关尺度上的保护绩效。
