To what extent does governance play a role in how effectively a marine protected area in the Irish Sea reaches its biological and socioeconomic goals?

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Marine life is facing increasingly serious threats due tohuman activity . Greenhouse gasesreleased from the burning of fossil fuels have acceleratedglobal warming at an unprecedented rate, increasing oceantemperatures and acidity with devastating consequences,such as biodiversity loss . Human activity has alsodirectly affected marine life through overfishing, coastalpollution, the introduction of invasive alien species, andhabitat destruction, with estimates that over 60% of globalfishery stocks have already collapsed or are overexploited,with an additional one-third being fully exploited. A widearray of methods is currently applied to adequately manageand protect marine resources, such as ocean zoning,regulating the harvest of species, enforcing catch limits, andestablishing marine protected areas (Levine et al., 2015).Marine protected areas (MPAs) are designed for theconservation of marine life in the face of exploitation andother threats related to human activity, however they areincreasingly used for multiple goals, such as sustainablefisheries and economic development (Christie & Pollnac,2011). The most effective way to manage an MPA is widelydebated, with some experts calling for ecosystem-basedmanagement for multiple species in favour of the traditionalsingle-species fisheries management approach. There is nosingle definition of an MPA and the role of each one dependson its specific objectives. MPAs should meet both biophysicaland socioeconomic needs (Pomeroy et al., 2005); in otherwords, they must ensure long-term conservation of speciesand habitats while also considering ecological, political,economic, and social outcomes. While most studies considereither the biological or the socioeconomic success of marineprotected areas, an increasing number of studies take amore holistic approach to success, accounting for bothbiological and socioeconomic outcomes in their assessments. However, there is a clear gap in the literature relating to what kinds ofgovernance arrangements lead to better biological andsocioeconomic outcomes.This doctoral thesis will focus on the Irish Sea because it is abusy waterway and a strategic geopolitical location. As thereis no tunnel linking the islands of Great Britain and Ireland,much of the exchange of goods and people is done via boatacross the Irish Sea. It is under the jurisdiction of six entities(Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man,Scotland, England, and Wales). While they are currentlymembers of the EU (save for the Isle of Man), and are thussubjected to EU directives, such as the Marine StrategicFramework Directive (MSFD) and the Birds & Habitatsdirectives, they each have their own national organisationsoverseeing the implementation and management of marineprotected areas.This research study aims to understand to what extentgovernance plays a role in how effectively a marine protectedarea in the Irish Sea reaches its biological andsocioeconomic goals. In other words, does the type ofgovernance influence or determine whether or not an MPA issuccessful? There is a lack of research on MPAs in the IrishSea, in spite of almost 200 designations across 95 sites(WDPA, 2019). To explore the state of MPAs in the Irish Sea,this research study will analyse the governance regimes ofseveral case study MPAs and compare their effectiveness interms of reported biophysical and socioeconomic outcomes.It will also identify any any data gaps in assessment reports. Bysurveying and interviewing members of the localcommunities, I will also be able to show how costal residentsview MPAs, their uses and impacts. Ultimately, I hope to giveMPA managers, policy-makers, scientists, researchers, andother stakeholders evidence on which to base more effectivegovernance of their MPAs.