Uncertainty Demands an Adaptive Management Approach to the Use of Marine Protected Areas as Management Tools

Networks of marine protected areas are important conservation and resource management tools that are under development in Europe and elsewhere. The ability of MPAs to deliver stated objectives and targets is likely to be challenged under a scenario of a rapidly changing climate. Such changes will be greatest in shallow coastal areas where multiple physical stressors impinge on marine habitats and species. Links between fish abundance and prey biomass mediated by physical stress highlight the sensitivity of coastal carrying capacity to changes in the physical environment. Adaptive management approaches are required to accommodate changes in the capacity of coastal systems to deliver desired objectives.