Collaborative Marine Protected Area Efforts in the Pacific Ocean: Strengthening Climate Resilience

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) play a vital role in preserving biodiversity and supporting fisheries, but climate change is reshaping ocean conditions and threatening their effectiveness. Lenfest is supporting a series of projects tackling these challenges. Two of the projects – one in the Eastern Tropical Pacific and another in Baja California – rely on key partnerships between researchers, local communities, and stakeholders to enhance climate resilience and protect biodiversity.

Navigating Climate Challenges in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor

The Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Conservation Corridor (CMAR), established in 2004, includes a series of MPAs that are crucial for protecting migratory corridors for large pelagic species such as sharks, rays, turtles, and marine mammals: Colombia (Malpelo, Gorgona, Cuenca del Pacífico Norte, Yuripari Malpelo), Costa Rica (Isla del Coco, Bicentenario), Panama (Coiba, Cordillera Coiba) and Ecuador (Hermandad, Galápagos). However, climate change is causing species to shift beyond protected boundaries, expanding oxygen minimum zones, and warming oceans, which, in addition to other human impacts, is challenging their effectiveness.

"We are using science to inform management decisions by investigating the growing threats climate change poses to the Eastern Tropical Pacific’s vital marine ecosystems," says Juliano Palacios Abrantes, a postdoctoral fellow at The University of British Columbia (UBC).  Adds William Cheung, Director of the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries at UBC "this project looks at supporting the creation of climate-resilient marine protected areas, ensuring that the CMAR corridor continues to safeguard migratory species even as ocean conditions shift."

As a key collaborator of the project, MarViva Foundation, a non-governmental organization that specializes conservation and sustainable use of marine resources and spaces, is using participatory strategies, working with regional governments, local and international research, to translate the scientific research into policy and enhance climate resilience in the CMAR region. Virtual meetings and ocean conferences are planned for late 2024, followed by tailored workshops in each country in 2025. These workshops will focus on specific needs, results of the project and solutions to refine approaches. Moreover, findings of this project will be shared at the One Ocean Science Conference, under the framework of the 3rd United Nations Conference on the Ocean.

While integrating traditional knowledge from coastal communities, government officials, park rangers, and coast guards has been successful, engaging fishermen has been more challenging. Efforts are ongoing to involve them in future workshops through third-party groups. Ultimately, the project to increase climate literacy and foster much stronger collaboration going forward, giving it the best shot to directly inform CMAR’s planning processes.

Collaborative Efforts to Protect Baja California's Kelp Forests

The Vizcaino and Pacific Islands MPAs in Baja California, Mexico, are home to one of the world’s most vital marine ecosystems—giant kelp forests. These underwater forests support biodiversity and local economies through fishing and ecotourism. The Vizcaino MPA protects the southern range of these kelp forests, while the Pacific Islands MPA covers islands in the central and northern regions of Baja California. However, kelp forests are facing increasing threats, especially from marine heatwaves and habitat decline.

The project focuses on identifying climate refugia—areas more resilient to environmental changes—and developing adaptation measures to protect both the environment and local communities. The Federation of Fishing Cooperatives of Baja California (FEDECOOP) is a key partner, contributing local knowledge and supporting project goals. Fishers and fishing cooperatives have identified protecting these iconic kelp systems as a management and research priority, especially after the severe marine heatwave from 2014-2016. Fiorenza Micheli, the project lead from Stanford University, explains that "by building a network among fishing cooperatives, government agencies, and scientists, the project aims to strengthen regional collaboration and develop climate-adaptation strategies for the MPAs of Baja California."

Using a co-design approach, the project team are bringing together other researchers, stakeholders, civic leaders, and government agencies via a series of workshops to share knowledge and find solutions. The purpose is to build trust. According to Nur Arafeh Dalmau, a postdoc at Stanford University, "through these workshops, researchers and local fishing cooperatives have co-developed a climate adaptation framework and set key research priorities to address climate impacts on the region’s kelp forests." Following each workshop, reports summarizing the outcomes are produced to guide monitoring and management by the fishing cooperatives and government agencies.

One standout feature of the project is its emphasis on community feedback. For instance, after presenting early drafts of climate refugia maps, roundtable discussions were held to gather input. Based on feedback, the team added time-series data and plans to create more detailed maps. This iterative process ensures that the tools developed are truly useful to the people most affected by climate change.

Building a Path Toward Sustainable Marine Conservation

The projects in the Eastern Tropical Pacific and Baja California share the common goal of building climate resilience by combining scientific research with local knowledge. Through a range of engagement strategies – from workshops to one-on-one conversations and co-produced knowledge – both initiatives can provide models for adapting MPAs to complex challenges posed by climate change.