Evaluating the collaborative dynamics of governing Marine Protected Areas: The case of the expansion of the Marine Protected Area of Cabrera, Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) help protect the world’s ocean, but governing them is a challenge, as a lack of community support triggers ecological degradation. Merging government and community-led governance modes to govern MPAs is recognized as the way forward, however, there is a lack of systematic insights into how and in which circumstances collaborative mechanisms can lead to more support for MPAs, and therewith better MPA protection. In the Balearic Islands (Spain) the MPA of Cabrera was created in 1991. To protect further its surrounding and biodiverse ecosystems, in 2015 the expansion of the MPA was initiated. This expansion combined government and community-led approaches in a collaborative governance process. The value of evaluating the collaborative governance dynamics of this Mediterranean MPA’s expansion is that lessons can be drawn particularly on how to realise support for the protection of MPAs. This research aimed to derive lessons by following three steps. Firstly, an evaluation framework was developed based on collaborative governance theory. It included three criteria principled engagement, shared motivation, and capacity for joint action and twelve indicators. Secondly, the evaluative framework was applied to the empirical case of Cabrera, where the indicators were measured and modified following sixteen interviews with MPA actors. Moderate scores predominated in Cabrera’s collaborative governance dynamics. Thirdly, a validation process was followed via five individual workshops with water governance experts, who corroborated that the modified evaluation framework was potentially transferable to regional and international MPA settings. Overall, lessons indicate that evaluating the indicators of ‘accountability’ and ‘capacity development’ illustrates important cooperative mechanisms in marine environments. These two indicators were not in the initial evaluative framework, but practice suggests that they broaden the context to be explored in collaborative governance processes within MPAs. Additionally, ways of achieving more support for the government and community-led MPAs’ expansion processes include creating new shared knowledge in the MPA, establishing clear bi-directional relationships amongst the MPA actors, and leading the process by providing specific directions. Finally, pre-established MPAs that are to be expanded may have vantage points in terms of achieving a fruitful collaborative process as the collaborative mechanisms between actors are already in place from previous endeavours. Hence, exploring these areas further and considering their expansions is promising. In conclusion, it is worth using and improving collaborative governance in MPAs as it offers the right cooperation means to jointly achieve a protected ocean.