Social Science
Over the last few years, many federal, state and local agencies
have embarked on major initiatives to design marine protected
areas (MPAs) for a variety of purposes, including biodiversity
conservation, fishery management, endangered species protection,
marine parks for tourists and local residents, and cultural resources
protection. These initiatives are complex and often controversial,
in part, because they can result in the restriction of human uses.
Some of the controversy over MPA initiatives stems from a range
of socioeconomic and cultural differences among affected stakeholders
and communities including differences in cultural values, systems
of meaning, aesthetics, use patterns, and economic activities.
Unfortunately, federal and state management agencies often lack
key information on the social, cultural, and economic dimensions
that affect the success of MPA planning, management, and evaluation.
The vast majority of research and literature on MPAs
has focused on natural science, with largely anecdotal references
to social science and few rigorous programs evaluating the complexities
of the human dimensions of MPAs. This critical information gap
must be addressed in order to promote sound decision-making that
takes into account the human and nonhuman dimensions of the environment.
The inability to adequately address the human dimension of MPAs
is perhaps the greatest single impediment to their broader and
effective use in marine conservation today.
California Ocean Uses Atlas Project
The California Ocean Uses Atlas Project is an innovative public-private partnership between NOAA’s Marine Protected Areas Center and Marine Conservation Biology Institute. Funded by grants from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the Resources Legacy Fund, the Atlas project fills a critical information gap in ocean management by mapping, for the first time, the full range of significant human uses of the ocean in state and federal waters of the coast of California. Maps of ocean uses will be created by regional experts through participatory GIS workshops in four regions throughout California, with potential for expansion in other states/regions. Data, maps and analytical products will be made available to state and federal agencies and to all interested parties. More information is available here.
National Social Science Research Strategy
To begin to address this need, the National Marine Protected Areas
Center worked with several agency and academic partners to develop
a national strategy for social science research to inform and
evaluate MPA processes. The strategy identifies six priority social
science research themes: governance, institutions, and processes;
use patterns; attitudes, perception and beliefs; economics of
MPAs; communities; and cultural heritage and resources. The Social
Science Research Strategy for Marine Protected Areas is available
online.
Regional Social Science Research
The National Marine Protected Areas Center recognized the need
to move from the broad perspective of the national social science
strategy to a more focused and region-specific approach to the
identification of social science priorities. The MPA Center proposed
the development of regional social science research plans in order
to address local and regional MPA-related research priorities
and information needs. These plans are based on the results of
regional workshops that bring together social scientists, MPA
practitioners, stakeholders, and managers to identify projects
for addressing MPA social science needs. Priority research themes
identified in the national strategy provide guidance and structure
for the regional workshops.
Between August 2003 and December 2005, regional social science workshops were conducted in
four regions: Caribbean and South Florida, South Atlantic, Pacific
Islands, and Pacific Coast/Alaska. Read the reports from Caribbean and South Florida, South Atlantic, Pacific Islands, and Pacific Coast regional social science research workshops.
Website on Social Science Methods for Marine Protected
Areas
The Social Science Methods for Marine Protected Areas website,
developed by the National Marine Protected Areas Center in cooperation
with the NOAA Coastal Services Center, profiles social science
tools and methods and provides examples on how these are used
by MPA managers. The website contains sections on social science
themes, tools (including surveys, demographic analysis, non-market
valuation, and social assessment), and case studies.
Read the report from the Mapping Human Activity in the Marine Environment: GIS Tools and Participatory Methods workshop held
in California from November 30-December 3, 2005.
For Additional Information
Charles M. Wahle, Ph.D, Senior Scientist
(831) 242-2052
charles.wahle@noaa.gov
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