Evaluating Puget Sound Marine Protected Areas

EoPS Social and Economic Sciences topic editor Patrick Christie will lead a collaborative study of the management and "social ecological resilience" of Marine Protected Areas in Puget Sound. The study is funded by Washington Sea Grant as part of a research collaboration with the Puget Sound Partnership. It will include work by Christie and David Fluharty of the UW School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, Richard Pollnac of the University of Rhode Island and Brad Warren of Global Ocean Health. Results of the study will be posted in part on the Encyclopedia of Puget Sound.

Project description

Evaluating Puget Sound marine protected areas to increase social ecological resilience

Set aside for species and habitat conservation, Puget Sound’s marine protected areas (MPAs) offer potentially important state management tools that could help restore overfished rockfish species. By supporting more robust populations, MPAs also may help increase the likelihood that marine species can adapt to ocean acidification. Yet, little is known about how well MPAs are managed or how effective they are as conservation measures. This project proposes to collaborate with state agencies, tribes and stakeholders to fill knowledge gaps by using social science tools to compare 25 Puget Sound MPA sites. Findings will be used to create accessible public outreach materials as well as peer-reviewed publications.

View a press release from Washington Sea Grant and the Puget Sound Partnership.

Read about MPAs in the Puget Sound Science Review.