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Free keywords:
Aichi target 11, conservation planning, Convention of Biological Diversity, marine protected area, protection
equality, protection gap, representation, spatial prioritization
Abstract:
Global areal protection targets have driven a dramatic expansion of the marine protected
area (MPA) estate.We analyzed how cost-effective global MPA expansion has
been since the inception of the first global target (set in 1982) in achieving ecoregional
representation. By comparing spatial patterns of MPA expansion against optimal
MPA estates using the same expansion rates, we show the current MPA estate is
both expensive and ineffective. Although the number of ecoregions represented tripled
and 12.7% of national waters was protected, 61% of ecoregions and 81% of countries
are not 10% protected. Only 10.3% of the national waters of the world would be
sufficient to protect 10% of each ecoregion if MPA growth since 1982 strategically
targeted underrepresented ecoregions. Unfortunately 16.3% of national waters are
required for the same representative target if systematic protection started in 2016 (an
extra 3.6% on top of 12.7%). To avoid the high costs of adjusting increasingly biased
MPA systems, future efforts should embrace target-driven systematic conservation
planning.
