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Developing the evidence-base to support climate-smart decision making on MPAs 2020

Abstract

This report presents the findings of the Defra-funded 'Climate-smart MPAs' project. The project focussed on building the evidence base to support climate-smart decision-making for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Secretary of State waters. It improves the evidence base underpinning which MPA protected features may be at most risk from the effects of climate change, and their functional role in building resilience to the impacts of it.

The project also reviewed the role of MPA protected features in climate regulation. Analysis undertaken as part of this project has shown that MPA features provide climate related ecosystem services for carbon sequestration and coastal protection. In Secretary of State waters, 52% of the total number of MPAs provide these services by virtue of the features they are intended to protect.

Improvements to the evidence base developed through this project were used to develop example climate profiles for two case study MPAs: The Canyons and Studland Bay Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs). The profiles were developed to communicate the impacts and the role of MPAs in climate change mitigation and adaptation in an accessible manner, and are available on the Resource Hub.

Additional information on the project is provided on the 'Climate-smart MPAs' webpage.

Resource type Publication

Topic category Oceans

Reference date 2020·06·01

Citation
Flavell, B., Carr, H., Robson, L., Byford, S., Chaniotis, P., Last, E., Long, M., Matear, L., & Novak, E. 2020. Developing the evidence-base to support climate-smart decision making on MPAs. JNCC Report No. 648, JNCC, Peterborough, ISSN 0963-8091.

Lineage
This report provides a summary of the methodology and results of the 'Climate-smart MPAs' project', undertaken by JNCC for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

Responsible organisation
Communications, JNCC publisher

Limitations on public access No limitations

Use constraints Available under the Open Government Licence 3.0

Metadata date 2020·06·08

Metadata point of contact
Communications, JNCC

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