The human dimensions of marine protected area establishment in remote island settings: a case study in the Archipeligo of the Azores

[Truncated abstract] Marine protected areas (MPAs) have been established worldwide to prevent ecosystem degradation and ensure the sustainable use of marine resources. MPA performance, however, is often impaired by its human dimension, which needs to be addressed more carefully if MPAs are to play an important role in environmental conservation. Focusing on the case study of Corvo Island, in the Azores Archipelago, this research aims to draw lessons that may help overcome social related setbacks of MPA establishment and governance in remote island settings. MPAs are the cornerstone of marine conservation in the Azores, where great efforts have been put into establishing a network of coastal and offshore MPAs through a complex process that involved regional, national and EU environmental policies, along with international programs and agreements. This study starts by analysing this process, demonstrating how the Azorean MPA network must be integrated within a wider regional marine management strategy, with MPA success being contingent upon the implementation of management plans, appropriate enforcement and monitoring, and bridging gaps in scientific knowledge. The study then focuses on a small Azorean island, Corvo, which represents different approaches to marine conservation, ranging from an informal community-based no-take MPA to a government-driven multi-purpose natural park, involving diverse local and external actors interacting over an extended period of time. In-depth interviews and survey questionnaires were used to explore the perceptions of local and expert stakeholders about different aspects of MPA establishment, management and public engagement. The results of this study suggest that in the Azorean context of complex marine resource use, the limitations of community-based MPAs prevent them from achieving broad ecosystem conservation goals. These goals might be better achieved through government-driven MPAs, provided that they are integrated in a wider regional marine strategy and that there is political will to effectively implement conservation measures and to allocate resources for management, enforcement and monitoring. The community-based MPA, on the other hand, revealed several key ingredients for improving MPA governance, including engaging and empowering local communities, high levels of local support, clear definition of goals and visible outputs. In Corvo, evidence of a strong ocean-oriented cultural identity and high levels of local support for marine conservation initiatives were found. Local stakeholders recognized the strategic economic value of the local marine environment, but also its vulnerability to anthropogenic threats. Stakeholders differed in their views on what those threats are and what MPA goals should be, yet there were widespread negative perceptions on governmental capacity to manage Corvo’s government-driven MPA, which is currently unregulated and poorly enforced...