Guidelines for Strengthening the Sustainable Socio-Economic Role of Mediterranean Marine and Coastal Protected Areas (MPAs)

🎯 Objectives

1. Initiate a sustainable socio-economic approach within Mediterranean MPAs.

2. Guide MPA managers and stakeholders toward income-generating and inclusive activities.

3. Promote MPAs as natural capital investments rather than economic restrictions.

4. Support integrated marine and coastal conservation policies.

🌊 Guiding Principles

• Socio-economic benefits must be considered within ecological contexts.

• Sustainability is central: ecological integrity must not be compromised.

• Not all values are monetary—non-market, cultural, and indirect values count.

• Carrying capacity and stakeholder mapping are essential before valuation.

• These are entry-level guidelines, not a technical toolkit—flexibility is encouraged.

🛠️ Methodological Steps

🔍 Step 1: Rapid “Scoping” Assessment

• Define context: objectives, governance, stakeholder mapping.

• Identify and define all benefits and costs.

• Estimate scale, value (qualitative, quantitative, monetary) and potential beneficiaries.

• Tools: Checklist Table and Net Impacts Table to prioritize focus areas.

📊 Step 2: Detailed Socio-Economic Assessment

• Categorize values into:

  • Direct: fishery resources, tourism.

  • Indirect: coastal protection, carbon sequestration.

  • Option: future unknown uses.

  • Existence/Bequest: cultural, intergenerational.

  • Intrinsic: nature’s inherent value.

• Apply appropriate tools such as:

  • Cost-Benefit Analysis

  • Travel Cost Method

  • Contingent Valuation

  • Hedonic Pricing

  • Participatory methods

  • Ecosystem Service Valuation tools (TESSA, InVEST, ARIES, etc.)

🌱 Opportunities from Socio-Economic Assessments

• Inform Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) and Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM).

• Advance the Blue Economy and sustainable development.

• Support climate change adaptation and insurance mechanisms.

• Boost stakeholder acceptance and reduce conflict via data-driven trade-off discussions.

⚠️ Limitations & Considerations

• Non-monetary benefits and distributional impacts can be difficult to quantify.

• Focus on core stakeholders, not broad populations.

• Values are dynamic, not static—what seems minor today could be essential tomorrow.

• Ensure conservation remains the primary goal; socio-economic gains are co-benefits.

📌 Recommendations

• Use socio-economic indicators that are understandable and measurable by local actors.

• Embed assessments in adaptive, inclusive planning processes.

• Promote new fiscal mechanisms (e.g., Payment for Ecosystem Services).

• Treat MPAs as part of socio-ecological systems with cross-sectoral value.

📥 Download the full guidelines here:
Guidelines for Strengthening the Socio-Economic Role of Mediterranean MPAs (PDF)