MCS&E Capacity
While the technology for MCS&E is always improving, it still requires the staff capacity to gather, analyze, and use the data provided by these technologies on the ground. An important early step in establishing an MCS&E system is to assess an MPA’s existing enforcement capacity and identify priority areas for growing staff skills and technical experience. Training programs and strategic enforcement planning ensure that personnel can act confidently and effectively when enforcement issues arise.
Enforcement officers need guidance and skill-building on monitoring MPAs, understanding their legal authority to enforce regulations, navigating the legal process to hold individuals accountable for their actions, providing insights on establishing or modifying regulations, and selecting and using surveillance techniques. Key skills include report writing and case preparation, conducting investigative interviews, and evidence collection.
“For new officers, knowing the environmental law thoroughly is crucial to doing their job well.”
Assessing enforcement capacity ensures that personnel are adequately prepared for increasing demands in enforcement and surveillance, and it allows for the identification of gaps in training or technology. Initiatives such as MPA Connect’s peer-to-peer workshops provide opportunities for officers to enhance their skills and address these gaps in capacity.
Coast Guard boats in Islamaorada, Florida, USA. Photo © David Gross / Ocean Image Bank
Participatory Governance
Participatory governance frameworks empower local stakeholders in their stewardship roles, enhancing co-management efforts and inviting broader community involvement. Actively involving local stakeholders in the MPA management process fosters self-compliance, freeing additional resources from enforcement actions to be used elsewhere.
Collaborative engagement can help reduce the reliance on enforcement measures, as stakeholders become more committed to maintaining the integrity of the MPA. Mentorship and capacity-building initiatives can further strengthen these efforts, by equipping both enforcement personnel and local communities with the skills and knowledge to support compliance effectively. By integrating traditional ecological knowledge into these efforts, MCS&E strategies become not only more effective but also culturally sensitive and ecologically sound.
In some regions, traditional systems of enforcement, such as a community justice system, also play an important role. For example, in Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), traditional Chiefs implement a justice system where enforcement is carried out voluntarily by a group of young men from the community. Compliance is often the goal, rather than punitive measures, showcasing how culturally-aligned enforcement systems can work alongside broader MPA strategies to enhance local ownership and voluntary adherence to regulations.
Gillnet fishers on the reef edge, Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia. Photo © Nick Hall
In some cases, establishing governance structures such as Compliance Management Units (CMUs) and technical support networks, can further enhance MPA management. These structures can add an additional layer of effectiveness to MCS&E strategies by streamlining compliance functions and promoting regional collaboration. They can also facilitate shared learning among MPAs and ensure a more coordinated and resource-efficient approach to addressing non-compliance.
Participatory governance also strengthens the social legitimacy of MPAs. They foster adaptive management through dialogue among resource users, scientists, and enforcement personnel, while also addressing equity by including marginalized groups such as small-scale fishers and Indigenous communities.
“Working with communities to co-manage areas is essential because it is much easier if the community wants to lead protection of its area, rather than a situation where we are forced to exclude them from a territory or forbid them from carrying out certain activities.”
Collaborative Networks
Collaborative networks foster partnerships between governments, NGOs, and local groups, enabling MCS&E strategies that are supported across scales. ref These partnerships enhance MCS&E systems by fostering collaboration and facilitating the exchange of knowledge and resources. For example, in The Bahamas, partnerships between the government, NGOs, and local enforcement agencies have strengthened MPA enforcement.
Initiatives like MPA Connect illustrate how collaboration across geographies fosters capacity-building, providing training and technical support to local managers. These efforts improve the efficiency of management strategies and help ensure support for local MCS&E efforts by leveraging shared resources to monitor, enforce, and respond to threats effectively. ref
Example: The Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor (CMAR)
The location and extent of CMAR. Source: CMAR
The Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor (CMAR) is a regional conservation and sustainable use initiative created by the governments of Ecuador, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Panama. Originally established in 2004, CMAR covers 643,586 km2 (the combined area of the MPAs that comprise it) and connects over 2 million km2 of open ocean. This area hosts many highly migratory species, making the continuity between parks and across international boundaries particularly important for achieving its conservation goals.
CMAR began as a collaborative government initiative, bringing together the Ministries of Environment of the countries who are party to the initiative. CMAR has also begun to work with other government entities (e.g., navies, coast guards, and fisheries authorities) who are not formal members of CMAR, while also gathering the support of many non-governmental organizations, universities, and research centers. In addition to these partners, CMAR is also working with the governments of Mexico, France, the United Kingdom, and Monaco, among others, to improve the reach and effectiveness of conservation within the corridor.
Through CMAR, the four countries voluntarily commit to a shared vision of conservation and marine resource management. This international cooperation allows for the pooling of resources for monitoring, control, surveillance, and enforcement while also sharing access to data, capacity, and technological support.
The MPA Enforcement Toolkit was developed in partnership with the Blue Nature Alliance, a global partnership to catalyze effective large-scale ocean conservation, and WildAid, a US-based non-governmental organization with over 20 years of on-the-water experience in marine enforcement. Additional insights and resources were provided by our friends at Conservation International, MPAConnect, MedPAN, and OneReef.
