Organization Science improves management effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas

• Published in: Journal of environmental management Vol. 240; pp. 285 - 292
• Main Authors: Scianna, Claudia, Niccolini, Federico, Giakoumi, Sylvaine, Di Franco, Antonio, Gaines, Steven D., Bianchi, Carlo Nike, Scaccia, Luisa, Bava, Simone, Cappanera, Valentina, Charbonnel, Eric, Culioli, Jean-Michel, Di Carlo, Giuseppe, De Franco, Francesco, Dimitriadis, Charalampos, Panzalis, Pier, Santoro, Pasquale, Guidetti, Paolo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 15.06.2019; Elsevier
• Subjects: Employees; Environmental Sciences; Fish biomass; Management performance; Management process; Marine conservation; Employees; Fish biomass; Marine conservation; Management performance; Management process
• ISSN: 0301-4797; 1095-8630
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.03.052

The ecological management effectiveness (EME) of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is the degree to which MPAs reach their ecological goals. The significant variability of EME among MPAs has been partly explained by MPA design, management and implementation features (e.g. surface area, enforcement, age of protection). We investigated EME variability by employing, for the first time, Organization Science. Eight Mediterranean MPAs were taken into account as case studies to explore the relationships between EME and MPA features, such as: 1) organizational size (i.e. the ratio between the number of full-time employees and the total MPA surface area), 2) management performance (i.e. the level of effort exerted to enhance and sustain the MPA management, including enforcement), 3) total surface area, and 4) MPA age. The log-response ratios of fish biomass and density in protected vs unprotected (control) areas were used as a proxy of EME. Management performance, organizational size and, to a lesser extent, MPA age were positively correlated with the log-response ratio of fish biomass, whereas total surface area did not display a significant role. None of the four features considered was significantly correlated with the log-response ratio of fish density. Based on our findings, we argue that the employment of Organization Science in the management effectiveness assessment can assist MPA managers to reach MPAs goals more effectively, with a more efficient use of available resources. •Marine protected areas (MPAs) management effectiveness is highly variable.•Variability of 8 MPAs was explored with features supplied by Organization Science (OS).•Management performance and organizational size affect MPA management effectiveness.•OS can complement existing frameworks for improving MPA management.•This novel methodology can assist MPA managers and decision-makers in their tasks.