Introduction

Marine protected areas have been established following recognition of declining resource quality by users and beneficiaries, with the expectation that enhanced management improves resource quality and ensures sustainability. A decision support framework has been developed by EMPAFISH following directly from this need. The Framework is based on the EMPAFISH review of the conservation and fisheries benefits of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea.

From this framework a web-based tool has been developed to enable stakeholders explore the EMPAFISH models and hence to support their decisions concerning the design and selection of MPAs. Further information of our approach can be found on the decision support manual (Deliverable 31).

The web page guides the interested user through the different factors that influence the successful ecological and socio-economic outcomes of MPAs in Southern Europe. The web page asks the users to input the following design criteria: time they are prepared to allow for protection and the size they would like the MPA to be, including size of the fully protected and partially protected zones. Based on the users criteria, the tool then provides predicted outcomes of the MPA such as relative fish density, fisheries catches, CPUE for targeted and by-catch species with single or mixed fishing gear, value of landings for professional fishers expenditure of recreational fishers, income for diving operators and diver’s budgets.

Inputs

Time from protection (read more from Deliverable 31)

In the box below please enter the time (in years) since protection began for your MPA, or the time that you are prepared to wait before effects of an MPA are evident.

Note that our model was based on a maximum of 34 years as this was the longest time series data we had.


Size of MPA (read more from Deliverable 31)

In the box below enter the size (in hectares) of the no-take zone and buffer zone of the MPA you are assessing. In case the MPA you are evaluating does not have one of the zones, leave the box open.

Outputs

The following outputs refer to the time from protection and size of no-take zone and partially protected zone you have provided above.

(The figure you get here is an estimate of the density of commercial species for the no-take zone compared to outside the MPA)


Fisheries catches

A. Using mixed gear
(The two figures below relate to the catch per unit effort for fishers using all gear types fishing in the buffer areas compared to those fishing far from the MPA)


B. Using single gear
(The two figures below relate to the catch per unit for fishers using the most dominant gear type fishing in the buffer areas compared to those fishing far from the MPA)


Socioeconomic variables


Note that the value of landings is based on values obtained directly from professional fishers and is not calculated based on the CPUE from the fisheries catches