The social, economic and environmental impacts of a Marine Protected Area

Research from the University of Plymouth has influenced the designation of the Lyme Bay Marine Protected Area (MPA). The research developed a unique and critically important dataset that has significantly changed reef management in the UK.

 

Issue

Reefs are internationally important marine habitats supporting food provision, jobs and coastal defence. The use of bottom towed fishing gear (trawls and dredges) has caused widespread loss of this habitat globally.

 

Approach

Geographers at the University of Plymouth pioneered new methods to evidence habitat sensitivity to the physical impact from bottom towed fishing gear and provided new evidence of the economic beneficiaries of a healthy reef ecosystem.

Long-term ecological monitoring in Lyme Bay was undertaken which led to the development of novel, non-destructive, cost-effective underwater survey techniques.

Research to track the ecological and socio-economic effects of the Lyme Bay MPA continues today, with this early research setting a benchmark for improved fisheries and conservation management.

 

Impact

The research has facilitated greater protection of the marine environment in the UK, for example by providing evidence for Natural England to develop Conservation Advice Packages which led to the wider designation of Lyme Bay and Torbay Special Area of Conservation.

The research informed new and ambitious marine policy, ‘the whole site approach’, to help reverse the decline in biodiversity and protect societal benefits. This is cited as an ambition of the 2018 UK Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan.

In 2016, the University of Plymouth undertook an evaluation of the social and economic impact of the MPA. Interviews with local fishermen demonstrated that the prohibition of bottom towed fishing gear has supported increased catches of shellfish. Scallop divers, for example, have increased their income by £3119 per fisherman, per month.

The research has strengthened an interdisciplinary evidence base and tools for fisheries management and conservation, and seen a cultural shift into fisher science partnerships. For example, the research has provided the basis for the long-term sustainable management of the Lyme Bay MPA, overcoming conflict and mistrust in marine conservation from the fishing sector.

 

More information

• Read the full impact case study in the REF21 database

Institution: University of Plymouth

Researchers: Dr Siân Rees, Dr Emma Sheehan, Dr Lynda Rodwell, Professor Martin Attrill