The OECD presented at the United Nations Ocean Conference in the side event on - Marine Protected Areas: SDG Catalysts?

1. MARINE PROTECTED AREAS
– ARE THEY WORTH IT?
Katia Karousakis
Biodiversity Team Leader
OECD Environment Directorate
Seychelles, GEF & UNDP side-event on MPAs: SDG Catalysts?
UN SDG 14 Oceans Conference
7 June 2017

2. • MPA-specific CBA studies show B > C
• Global study by Brander et al. (2015): benefits of
10% MPA coverage significantly exceed costs
Benefits and costs of marine
protected areas
Benefits Costs
Biodiversity conservation Direct (e.g. monitoring)
Regulating services Indirect (e.g. congestion)
Fisheries enhancement Opportunity (e.g., revenue
from forbidden activities in
MPAs)
Tourism and recreation
Others…

3. Prioritise MPAs sites with:
- highest benefits
- highest threat/risk of loss (human impact)
- lowest opportunity costs
• Tools such as Marxan and Marzone can help
– E.g., New Zealand, Mediterranean sea
– Giakoumi et al. (2011); Micheli et al. (2013);
Mazor et al. (2014)
Siting MPAs

4. • Understanding who bears the costs and benefits
can help to identify any necessary transitional
measures
• Can be fostered by:
– Broad stakeholder engagement (e.g. GBRMPA,
Australia)
– Inter-ministerial commissions (e.g. Brazil,
Ecuador, France, Peru)
There are likely to be MPA winners
and losers

5. Financing
Domestic govt
budget
Often the main source of finance in many developed countries
External devt
finance
Often a substantial source of finance in many developing countries
Trust funds Several trust funds established e.g., Belize, Mauritania and Mexico
User fees (e.g.,
entrance fees)
Often a substantial source of finance in a number of MPAs. Entrance
fees used in Australia, Mexico, Belize, Thailand and the Galapagos
Islands, Ecuador
Taxes and fines France (1995 Barnier Act). Tax on maritime passenger ships in
protected areas – with revenue earmarked
Subsidies MPAs can enhance fisheries by protecting nursing grounds
PES A few examples in marine context – e.g., sea turtles in Tanzania, grey
whale habitat protection Mexico, blue carbon (seagrass)
Scaling Up Finance for MPA
Source: OECD (2017) Marine Protected Areas: Economics, Management and Effective Policy Mixes

6. OECD (2017), Marine Protected Areas:
Economics, Management and Effective Policy
Mixes
• OECD (2017), The Political Economy of
Biodiversity Policy Reform
• OECD (2017), Financial Support to
Fisheries: Levels and Impacts
katia.karousakis@oecd.org
Thank you!
www.oecd.org/environment/resources/biodiversity