Marine protected areas (MPAs) play an important role in protecting critical habitats, fostering biodiversity, supporting fisheries, and providing many related co-benefits to coastal communities. Despite their ecological, social, and economic value, almost two-thirds of MPAs around the world lack sufficient funding for effective management.
The new MPA Finance Toolkit is a first-stop resource for marine managers and practitioners interested in generating sustainable financing for their MPAs. The online toolkit features six videos, an extensive glossary of potential finance mechanisms (including grant-based, compensation-based, investment-based, and ecosystem value-based mechanisms), and the Blue Nature Alliance’s 3-step methodology for identifying and prioritizing MPA financing opportunities. Managers using this toolkit will come away with a broad understanding of this emerging and rapidly growing field, as well as guidance on how to generate high-level roadmaps outlining potential finance mechanisms for their MPAs.
The MPA Finance Toolkit was developed by the Reef Resilience Network in partnership with the Blue Nature Alliance, a global partnership to catalyze effective large-scale ocean conservation. In September 2023, the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association and Blue Nature Alliance co-hosted an MPA finance workshop with marine managers in the Western Indian Ocean region. This toolkit is adapted from the materials that were developed for and piloted by the managers in attendance.
