Scientific watch

The Caribbean Protected Area Management Network and Forum (CaMPAM) was formed in 1997 when the United Nations Environment’s Caribbean Program (UNEP-CEP) convened a meeting of 50 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) managers. This paper describes the activities implemented by CaMPAM between

Large-Scale Marine Protected Areas* (LSMPAs) are the greatest hope for achieving marine conservation goals such as the CBD Aichi Target 11. These guidelines, published by the IUCN and Big Ocean, compile information on LSMPAs, their importance, characteristics, benefits and challenges,

Marine reserves are implemented to achieve a variety of objectives, but are seldom rigorously evaluated to determine whether those objectives are met. When evaluations take place, they often face shortcomings like focusing on ecological indicators, while ignoring other relevant objectives

Targets for marine protection under the Convention on Biological Diversity have seen rapid growth in MPAs globally, with progress judged using targets for total area protected rather than evaluating growth based on the capacity to protect biodiversity. However, the authors

The Natura 2000 network forms the cornerstone of the biodiversity conservation strategy of the European Union and is the largest coordinated network of protected areas (PAs) in the world. Given that the basic objective of the Natura 2000 is to

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are widely used as tools to maintain biodiversity, protect habitats and ensure that development is sustainable. If MPAs are to maintain their role into the future it is important for managers to understand how conditions at

The ocean is increasingly facing direct and indirect threats from multiple human activities that alter ecosystems worldwide. Mitigating these threats requires a global shift in the way people perceive and interact with the marine environment. In this sense, marine public

The siting of protected areas to achieve management and conservation objectives draws heavily on biogeographic concepts of the spatial distribution and connectivity of species. However, the marine protected area (MPA) literature rarely acknowledges how biogeographic theories underpin MPA and MPA

Biological invasions are recognized as one of the main environmental threats for the conservation of marine biodiversity worldwide. The alien crab Percnon gibbesi was cited for the first time from Linosa (Italy) in 1999 and later in many other locations

Survival during settlement is a limiting variable for recruitment and is believed to be strongly determined by biological interactions and sea conditions. This study examined the settlement patterns of the white seabream (Diplodus sargus) related to relevant biotic and abiotic