Marine Protected Areas (MPAs): Methodologies for assessment

Marine Protected Areas are an effective way of protecting biodiversity, with potential socio-economic benefits including the enhancement of local fisheries and maintenance of ecosystem services. However, local fishing communities often fear short-term revenue losses and thus may oppose marine protected areas creation. This work includes a review of the need of having management effectiveness evaluation and its importance in providing useful information for stakeholders. Therefore, evaluation methodologies are presented and assessed in order to suggest possible approaches to the Berlengas MPA. In this case, an indicator-based approach can be relevant as a starting point, providing already some insights about the management effectiveness of Berlengas MPA. It also supports the development of a more ambitious approach such as a bio-economic model.