2024/10/04 by Sébastien Desbureaux, J.P. Girard, Alicia Dalongeville +7 · 1 voice · 2 citations
Environmental Science · #Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies #Marine and fisheries research #Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture Studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/conl.13048
openalex publication_date 2024/10/04 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Abstract Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a cornerstone of marine conservation efforts, with the potential to protect biodiversity and provide socioeconomic benefits. We quantified the effect of MPAs on fishing outcomes, economic activities, and material living standards in 24 coastal villages of Tanzania over two decades. We accessed original data from a study conducted in 2003 that found no effect of MPAs 3–8 years after their creation. Eighteen years later, we replicated the survey and used a Before‐After Control‐Intervention design to quantify the effect of MPAs. We found that villages near MPAs experienced a 50% higher improvement in living standards compared to those further from MPAs. This benefit is not related to higher fishing outcomes but to a diversification of economic sectors. Our findings highlight a decoupling between fish catches and economic benefits, revealing that socio‐economic outcomes can be observed for MPAs whose ecosystems’ productivity has declined.