Knowledge Exchange Fellowship - KE4SEA: Engaging marine stakeholders in NERC-funded conflict research to enhance the effectiveness of Scotland's MPAs

保护和恢复海洋生态系统是国际优先事项。世界海洋严重退化，海洋系统的结构、功能和效益发生变化和损失。这会对环境产生影响，并可能对人类生活、生计和福祉造成破坏性后果。世界各地的人们依靠海洋资源获得食物、收入、能源和娱乐，以及免受气候变化破坏性影响的保护。海洋保护区（MPAs）在强有力的科学证据的指导下，有可能为子孙后代保护海洋系统。然而，管理人员必须驾驭一个复杂的、多利益攸关方的环境，在这个环境中，很难平衡海洋保护的需要与社会、文化和经济要求。海洋保护区内相互竞争的利益和需求之间的冲突可能会破坏保护工作，并严重限制知识的流动，包括NERC资助的海洋科学。苏格兰的MPA网络在海洋保护方面处于世界领先地位，已经超过了科学家建议的30%的保护区覆盖率。MPA管理和政策的责任由NatureScot、联合自然保护委员会（JNCC）、苏格兰历史环境和苏格兰环境保护局（SEPA）以及苏格兰海洋共同承担。在未来五年内，合作伙伴Marine Scotland和NatureScot计划改变MPA管理和政策，并指定更多的MPA，包括海洋“禁捕”区，这是MPA最严格的形式。为了节省关键资源，决策者和管理人员必须了解网络内现有和新出现的冲突及其分布、强度和驱动因素，以协助资源分配和制定更有效、更有针对性的管理战略。此外，Marine Scotland和NatureScot需要外部专业知识，以促进多方利益攸关方论坛，并调解有关未来管理决策的讨论。该奖学金将利用申请人的冲突调解专业知识来实现这些双重目的，通过开创性地应用NERC资助的保护冲突曲线作为诊断工具来评估冲突分布，强度和驱动因素，决策支持工具，以协助分配资源用于冲突管理和促进工具，将利益相关者聚集在一起，促进共同理解。迫切需要加强决策者、利益攸关方、从业人员和研究人员-特别是应用社会和政治科学领域的人员-之间的合作，将冲突研究的理论和框架转化为切实可行的工具、方法和指导，从而有助于更好地管理和治理海洋保护区，并建立利益攸关方之间有效交流知识的网络。此外，国际社会将受益于分享该研究金的数据，这将有助于就海洋保护区的有效管理和利益攸关方的参与开展全球对话。为满足这些机构和知识需求，该研究金的具体目标是：㈠提供苏格兰MPA网络内现有和新出现冲突的深入知识和数据，包括分析其分布、强度和驱动因素; ㈡评价现有的管理战略，并为决策者提供一个工具包，以指导冲突降级，㈢共同创建一个在线全球数据库，以促进关于其他MPA网络中冲突强度、分布和驱动因素的知识共享和整合。该项目将提供一个最佳做法范例，并将在国内和国际上推广。

The protection and restoration of marine ecosystems is an international priority. The world's oceans are severely degraded, with changes and losses to the structure, function and benefits from marine systems. This carries environmental implications and potentially devastating consequences for human lives, livelihoods and wellbeing. People across the world rely on marine resources for food, income, energy and recreation, as well as a form of protection from the damaging impacts of climate change. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), when guided by robust scientific evidence, have the potential to safeguard marine systems for future generations. However, managers must navigate a complex, multi-stakeholder environment, where balancing the need for marine conservation with social, cultural and economic requirements is difficult. The conflicts that arise between competing interests and needs within MPAs can derail conservation efforts and critically restrict the flow of knowledge, including NERC-funded ocean science. Scotland's MPA network is world-leading in its commitment to marine protection, already exceeding the 30% protected area coverage recommended by scientists. The responsibility for MPA management and policy is shared between NatureScot, Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), Historic Environment Scotland and Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), and Marine Scotland. Within the next five years, partners Marine Scotland and NatureScot plan to make changes to MPA management and policy, and designate more MPAs, including marine 'no-take' zones which are the most restrictive form of MPA. To save critical resources, it would be invaluable to decision makers and managers to have an indication of existing and emerging conflicts within the network, and their distribution, intensity and drivers to assist in resource allocation and the development of more efficient, targeted management strategies. In addition, Marine Scotland and NatureScot require external expertise to facilitate multi-stakeholder forums, and mediate discussions regarding future management decisions. This fellowship will utilise the conflict mediation expertise of the applicant to serve these dual purposes, through pioneering application of the NERC-funded Conservation Conflict Curve as a diagnostic tool to assess conflict distribution, intensity and drivers, a decision support tool to assist in the allocation of resources for conflict management and a facilitation tool to bring together stakeholders and promote shared understanding. There is a pressing need for greater collaboration between decision-makers, stakeholders, practitioners and researchers - particularly those from the applied social and political sciences - to move theories and frameworks in conflict research into practical tools, approaches and guidance that can contribute to the better management and governance of MPAs and build networks for the effective exchange of knowledge between stakeholders. Furthermore, the international community would benefit from the sharing of the data from this fellowship, which will contribute to a global dialogue on effective management and stakeholder participation of MPAs. To fulfil these institutional and knowledge needs, the specific objectives of this fellowship are: i) To provide in-depth knowledge and data of existing and emerging conflicts within Scotland's MPA network, including analysis of their distribution, intensity and drivers; ii) Evaluate existing management strategies and deliver a toolkit for decision-makers to guide the de-escalation of conflicts, enhance participation and improve knowledge flow and iii) Co-create an online global database to promote knowledge sharing and integration regarding conflict intensity, distribution and drivers in other MPA networks. This project will deliver an exemplar of best practice that will be expanded both nationally and internationally.