Enhancing Marine Protected Areas: Balancing Governance, Ecological Outcomes, and Socio-Economic Factors

The growing aknowledgement of the ocean’s role in supporting ecological balance, climate regulation, and human welfare has raised up Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to a central position in global marine policy. MPAs are promoted as key instruments for biodiversity conservation, blue carbon fortification, sustainable management of fisheries and food security. However, their efficacy remains uneven, often constrained by governance shortages, ecological uncertainties, and socio-economic trade-offs.

The proposed focus seeks to address these interwoven dimensions by exploring not only the biological effects of MPAs but also the management and governance frameworks, community dynamics, economic and geopolitical implications that shape up their success. By emphasizing cross-disciplinary perspectives and practical pathways, this topic contributes to rethinking MPAs not merely as conservation instruments but as social-ecological and adaptive governance systems that support both protection and restoration of marine ecosystems and local communities, in the era of accelerating environmental and climate uncertainties.

This Special Issue addresses three interlinked dimensions of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). First, it examines governance challenges, such as legal frameworks, enforcement, multi-level coordination, and participatory mechanisms to secure compliance and social acceptance. Since MPAs often cross jurisdictions and involve multiple stakeholders, effective governance is essential for adaptive management and conflict resolution. Second, it evaluates ecological outcomes, including habitat restoration, biodiversity conservation, and climate resilience. While well-designed MPAs can enable species recovery, success depends on spatial design, habitat connectivity, monitoring, and integration of scientific evidence. Third, the socio-economic dimension is considered, as MPAs can both benefit and challenge communities. They may support small-scale fisheries and eco-tourism but also restrict traditional practices, creating tensions. Reconciling these requires social equity, compensation, and co-management to empower stakeholders. The rationale is to align ambitious commitments, such as the EU’s 30x30 target, with effective implementation beyond “paper parks.”

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• ... View all formats

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Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: MPAs, biological effects, local community dynamics, social-ecological systems, adaptive governance.

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.