Governing MPAs: Getting the Balance Right

Considers MPAs from a governance perspective examining how to combine top-down, bottom-up and market approaches for effective and equitable MPAs. All three approaches are important, but how might they be combined in different MPA contexts? Case study analyses focus on ‘deconstructing’ the complexities of MPA governance by employing 40 incentives from five categories. This technical report describes the findings of this research and is intended to provide a foundation for further case studies and discussion, employing the governance analysis framework, to provide a preliminary resource for MPA managers to consider how different incentives might be combined to support the governance of their MPA. It also resonates strongly with current debates in fisheries management about the role of incentives.