An international team of marine scientists and economists, including Catalina López-Sagástegui, Director of the Gulf of California Marine Program at the Institute of the Americas, published in Frontiers in Marine Science a comprehensive framework for Marine Prosperity Areas (MPpA). The new publication outlines a holistic approach to ocean conservation that proposes strategic financial investments to enhance human prosperity alongside ecological recovery.
“This concept offers a roadmap for inclusive and effective conservation, where communities and nature can thrive, provided that investment and active participation are prioritized,” says Catalina. It is based on decades of research on Marine Protected Areas, fisheries, and coastal habitats throughout the Gulf of California, Mexico.
Built on three pillars—Community Engagement and Collaborative Design; Capacity Building, Governance and Infrastructure; and Monitoring, Compliance, and Co-management—the conservation proposal prioritizes the inclusion of diverse stakeholders, from Indigenous communities and historically marginalized groups to economic sectors dependent on both extractive and non-extractive ocean use.
The MPpA model employs strategic financial investments and community partnerships to integrate ecological conservation, economic growth, environmental responsibility, and social policy, benefiting both people and the planet. This is why it can become a key tool in achieving global conservation goals, including the “30×30” target of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which aims to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.
This work is a collaboration with Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Centro para la Biodiversidad Marina y la Conservación, A.C., Fundación Coppel, SUCEDE Sociedad en Acción Sinaloa, University of California, Santa Cruz, World Economic Forum, and NOS Noroeste Sustentable.
What you will find in the report
- What Are Marine Prosperity Areas?
- How Area-Based Protections Support Marine Conservation
- Balancing Ecological Restoration & Human Well-Being
- Global & Regional Case Studies of Sustainable Marine Management
Key Questions
- How marine protected areas benefit communities
- Best practices in marine conservation and restoration
- Sustainable ocean economies and local communities
- Aligning marine conservation with human well-being
- The role of area-based protections in climate resilience