Search the SPREP Catalogue

The 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg confirmed that global sustainable development and poverty reduction requires a healthier and more sustainably managed ocean. WSSD paid special attention to coral reefs, which are critical for many countries, especially the Small Island Developing States. WSSD recommended that to sustain coral reefs will require integrated coastal and watershed management, the establishment of networks of marine protected areas, and the necessary institutional capacity building to foster these management approaches and help deliver them on the ground. Similar requests were made at the IUCN World Parks Congress in Durban in 2003. These are tasks for the international coral reef community; our organizations strongly support these goals and are actively contributing towards their achievement.

This guidebook offers managers and other conservation practitioners1 a process and methods to evaluate the effectiveness of marine protected areas (MPAs) for the purposes of adaptive management. The evaluation is based on indicators that measure the effectiveness of management actions in attaining goals and objectives that are specific to MPAs, the marine environment and coastal communities. It presents a flexible approach that can be used in many types of MPAs, such as multiple-use areas or no-take zones, where each may have different goals and objectives. It offers a variety of indicators that reflect a diversity of MPA goals and objectives. These can be selected to best match your MPA based on the needs and resources of your site.