Marine Protected Areas as Tools for Ocean Sustainability

Abstract Science is clear in showing that we are facing two existential challenges: a climate emergency and a species extinction crisis. These challenges are rooted in the extractive and linear economic model we have globally adopted, in which economic development is intertwined with the destruction of nature. Europe has recently responded politically by adopting the European Green Deal with a set of policies aimed at transforming the EU economy envisaging a future with no net carbon emissions and where economic growth is decoupled from resource use. Despite the dire state of the ocean and the urgency to implement effective solutions, we continue to witness the loss of nature and, with it, the loss of current and future economic and social value. Marine protected areas (MPAs) are one of the most effective solutions to address these challenges. There is, however, the need to clarify what these area-based management tools are, how they can provide benefits, what conditions must be met to ensure they are effective, and how a strategy can be adopted to increase the breadth, speed and success of efficient MPAs to save what is left in the ocean, allow ecosystems to recover, and build sustainable jobs and economic growth.