Publications [#377382] of Alexander Pfaff

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Journal Articles

  1. Gill, DA; Lester, SE; Free, CM; Pfaff, A; Iversen, E; Reich, BJ; Yang, S; Ahmadia, G; Andradi-Brown, DA; Darling, ES; Edgar, GJ; Fox, HE; Geldmann, J; Trung Le, D; Mascia, MB; Mesa-Gutiérrez, R; Mumby, PJ; Veverka, L; Warmuth, LM. "A diverse portfolio of marine protected areas can better advance global conservation and equity.." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 121.10 (March, 2024): e2313205121. [doi]
    (last updated on 2025/04/02)

    Abstract:
    Marine protected areas (MPAs) are widely used for ocean conservation, yet the relative impacts of various types of MPAs are poorly understood. We estimated impacts on fish biomass from no-take and multiple-use (fished) MPAs, employing a rigorous matched counterfactual design with a global dataset of >14,000 surveys in and around 216 MPAs. Both no-take and multiple-use MPAs generated positive conservation outcomes relative to no protection (58.2% and 12.6% fish biomass increases, respectively), with smaller estimated differences between the two MPA types when controlling for additional confounding factors (8.3% increase). Relative performance depended on context and management: no-take MPAs performed better in areas of high human pressure but similar to multiple-use in remote locations. Multiple-use MPA performance was low in high-pressure areas but improved significantly with better management, producing similar outcomes to no-take MPAs when adequately staffed and appropriate use regulations were applied. For priority conservation areas where no-take restrictions are not possible or ethical, our findings show that a portfolio of well-designed and well-managed multiple-use MPAs represents a viable and potentially equitable pathway to advance local and global conservation.

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