PAPER REVIEW

BY

IGWE VICTOR CHUKWUEDOZIE

130405014

500 LEVEL

SURVEYING AND GEOINFORMATICS

UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS

SUBMITTED TO

DR. HAMID MOSAKU

INTRODUCTION TO COASTAL MAPPING AND

MANAGEMENT

SVY523

1st SEMESTER

2017/2018 SESSION
TITLE: CULTURAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF
MEDITERRANEAN MARINE PROTECTED AREAS

AUTHORS: F. BADALAMENTI1, A. A. RAMOS2, E. VOULTSIADOU3, J.L.

SÁNCHEZ LIZASO2, G. D’ANNA1,C. PIPITONE1, J. MAS4, J.A. RUIZ
FERNANDEZ4, D. WHITMARSH5 AND S. RIGGIO6

INSTITUTIONS:

1. Laboratory of Marine Biology IRMA – CNR, Via G. Da Verrazzano, 17-

91014 Castellammare del Golfo (TP), Italy,
2. Department of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resources,
University of Alicante, Spain,
3. Department of Zoology, University of Thessaloniki, Greece,
4. IEO,Centro Oceanográfico, Murcia, Spain,
5. CEMARE, University of Portsmouth, UK and
6. Department of Animal Biology, University of Palermo,Italy

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2000

STUDY AREA: MEDITERRANEAN SEA

MPAs in Spain, Italy, Greece, France

FRAMEWORK:

IMPLICATION: ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS;

SOCIO-CULTURAL IMPLICATIONS
PROBLEM STATEMENT

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are coastal management schemes designed to preserve and

safeguard nature by building either hard or soft structures to protect marine species,

threatened ecological habitats and biodiversity. Although these ecological factors are enough

for the development of models and programs for its implementation, MPAs have social,

cultural, and economic impacts about which little is currently known and lack of data and

studies exist to understand its consequence.

Marine protected areas are source for economic revenue for area around where they are

located. Through tourism, fisheries and other activities that could be derived from both

communities around have a source of potential and fundamental source of income. But

excessive exploitation tourism threatens cultural heritage of local inhabitants of these areas

especially those located in the south (Underdeveloped economies).

Due to lack of recognition of importance of local communities in the planning, establishment

and management of these protective measures and model, there is a risk of poor local

consensus and often hostility. Also these local habitants will not be aware of some of the

benefits that could arise as a result of the establishment of these MPAs.

MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE PAPER

 The paper established links as to how marine protected areas had socio-economic and

cultural impacts in the local communities. It discussed tourism as a potential source of

economic revenue for communities and also how it’s over exploitation could mean a

loss of cultural heritage for locals.

 The paper explained how a mutually beneficial implementation of MPAs could be

achieved by involvement of major shareholders including; local communities, fishers

and tourist, in the planning, establishment and management of MPAs.

 Prior to its publication very little data or publication existed to support or show socio-

economic and cultural impacts of MPAs.

 The paper reviewed studies with existed on Mediterranean MPAs

 The paper compared experiences of cases in the Mediterranean and those outside the

Mediterranean.it found similarities in their impacts.

 The paper that not only biological and ecological aspects determined the success of

MPAs but also geographic factors such as the degree of isolation, the size of the

resident human population and the culture and traditions of the latter

 The study also showed that there is a variation in the socio-cultural and economic

impact of MPAs depending on its location. It established that MPAs are more likely

to be accepted in more developed areas than in less developed areas.

 The study stated that exploitation of economic revenues is dependent on its location.

 The study stated that the industrialization and underdevelopment will determine size

of the area protected and the level of protection.

 It concluded that flexibility of management through involvement in MPAs designs on

a multidisciplinary basis (I.e. not only ecological), and variant weighting depending

on location will help achieve understanding of MPAs and hence create a long lasting

consensus.
VALIDATION OF METHODOLOGY

To establish its premise, the paper reviewed the few studies which existed on Mediterranean

MPAs, with special regard to those developed within the European Union (EU). The reviews

of these papers were used to assess the extent of the need to consider cultural and socio-

economic factors in their establishment and management.

Other types of marine protected areas like fishery reserves were considered in the paper .Also

the paper used other study areas outside the Mediterranean to compare and show similarities

in the socio-economic and cultural impacts of the existence of marine protected areas.

The paper showed variation in the impacts on local communities and that these variations

were dependent on the location of the marine protected areas either in industrialized or

developed areas ore underdeveloped areas.

KEY CONCEPTS BEHIND THE APPROACH IN PAPER

MARINE PROTECTED AREAS

These are hard or soft structures and design implemented to safeguard nature through the

protection of species threatened environments and the biodiversity which the latter support.

Marine protected areas also provide economically valuable activities and interact with human

beings and their institutions. Tourism, the replenishment of fisheries and the protection of the

natural resource bases of fisheries provide the most important economic revenues to be

derived from MPAs. Some example of these structures include; seawalls, dikes, dunes

vegetation, etc.
Marine protected areas can also fishery reserves (that is, no-fishing zones or restricted fishing

areas): spatially bounded areas in which the harvesting of marine resources is restricted or

forbidden.

For this paper Mediterranean marine protected areas were used as case study. As at the time

of its writing, there are currently 33 Mediterranean MPAs in the EU, with 5 in France, 11 in

Spain, 16 in Italy and 1 in Greece, with a total protected area of 477,453 ha.

SOCIO-CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACTS

These are effects in the society observed in deviation of cultural patterns or heritage from the

norm and/or increase or decrease in economic revenues and values.

In the case study, marine protected areas restrict access to certain areas of the marine

environment. Apart from biological and ecological considerations of such initiatives, they

have socio-cultural and economic impacts which were discussed by in the paper.

The paper established that restrictions in fishing zones threatens the sources of income of

fishers in the local communities, exploitative tourism also threatens the cultural heritage of

local inhabitants in the surrounding communities. Also lack of involvement of all

stakeholders in the planning, establishment and management of MPAs breeds resent among

locals and runs a risk of being unsuccessful.

ASSUMPTIONS MADE BY THE AUTHOR

 The paper assumes that success of protective initiatives is proportional to the degree

of involvement of the local community.

 It assumes that young people in local communities will resent MPAs because they

don’t have unlimited access.

  It also assumes that local inhabitants will be very reluctant to diversify their work

activities

 If locals are unwilling to take advantage of the potential of MPAs, outsiders will take

over tasks.

WHAT TO PRESERVE

 The authors comparison of cases within his study area( the Mediterranean) and those

outside to establish a connection between MPAs and their socio- economic impacts

and show consistency and similarities in result obtained.

 The writer’s enthusiasm about the subject matter was solid and he did not deviating

from the subject matter, always reiterating the aim of the paper.

WHAT TO REVISE

Although the study was comprehensive and was able to explain the need to consider cultural

and socio-economic factors in their establishment and management, the study areas were very

few which was just enough for the primary aim of the paper which was to spark public

awareness of these socio-economic impacts of MPAs.

The paper assumes that young people in the south (underdeveloped areas) will resent the

MPAs just because they will not like not having unlimited access to certain parts of the

marine environment. But I think young local inhabitants will like MPAs because of the

economic opportunities it provides.