Costs of a worldwide system of marine parks
Posted on 12 July 2004
The global oceans today are in their worst state in the history of humanity. Fisheries are in steep decline, rates of habitat loss now equal or exceed that of the rainforests, and fish stocks have fallen to 10 per cent or less of their numbers at the onset of commercial fishing. At the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, coastal nations pledged to turn the tide on this decline by creating national networks of marine parks by 2012. But until now, it has been unclear how much it will cost countries to deliver on their promises.
To restore marine ecosystems and rebuild fish stocks, the World Parks Congress in Durban in 2003 recommended that at least 20 to 30 per cent of every marine habitat should be protected from all fishing. "Meeting this commitment to marine protection will require international effort on an unprecedented scale," said Andrew Balmford, lead author of the study, "Just half a percent of the sea lies within marine parks today, compared to 12 per cent of the land."
Balmford and colleagues surveyed the running costs of 83 well-managed marine parks worldwide. Annual spending varied enormously, from a few 10s of US dollars to US$28 million per square kilometre per year. "Costs were higher for parks that were smaller, closer to coasts, and in high-cost, developed countries," said Pippa Gravestock, co-author of the study. "However, parks surveyed said their present income only accounted for half the amount needed to achieve ideal management standards."
Taking into account the present income shortfall, the study estimated the running costs of a global system of marine parks that would protect 20 to 30 per cent of the world's seas. Costs lay between US$5 billion and US$19 billion annually, depending on what assumptions were made. The most likely range of figures was US$12.4 to 13.9 billion for 30 per cent coverage and US$9.5 to 10.4 billion for 20 per cent coverage.
Can the world afford this ambitious marine park system? Estimated costs are far in excess of current expenditure on marine parks, but such an investment would help safeguard, and over time increase, a global fish catch worth US$70 to 80 billion per year. It would ensure the sustained delivery of marine ecosystem services probably worth US$7000 billion each year. Most notably, such an ambitious marine park programme could be instituted for less than the US$15 to $30 billion already spent each year on economically and environmentally damaging subsidies to commercial fisheries.
Those subsidies support excess capacity in fisheries that might provide short-term job security, but carry major longer-term costs and risks. By contrast, "A marine park system covering 20 to 30 per cent of the globe would create between 830,000 and 1.1 million fulltime jobs. Both these figures likely far exceed the jobs supported by present fishery subsidies", said Balmford.
The estimated cost of parks does not take any account of expected gains from protected areas to fisheries. "Marine parks promote the recovery of fish stocks within their borders and export fish and their offspring into fishing grounds," said Professor Callum Roberts. "In places like the Philippines and St. Lucia, well managed parks have doubled catches in surrounding fisheries". Even a 20 per cent catch enhancement arising from the global park system, a conservative estimate of benefits, would pay for management costs.
Costs of protecting marine life and sustaining fisheries are modest compared with what the world spends on luxuries. At present, people in the United States spend an estimated $20 billion a year on ice cream, while Europeans spend $11 billion. People spend around $18 billion worldwide on make-up, $15 billion on perfumes and $14 billion on ocean cruises (Source: State of the World 2004).
Notes to editors:
- Worldwide costs of marine protected areas by Andrew Balmford, Pippa Gravestock, Neal Hockley, Colin J. McClean and Callum M. Roberts. Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, 14 June 2004.
- The research was supported by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (UK) and WWF-US.
- Dr Andrew Balmford is at the Conservation Biology Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge tel./fax.: 01223 331770; email: a.balmford@zoo.cam.ac.uk
- The research of Professor Callum Roberts from the Environment Department at the University of York currently focuses on human impacts on marine ecosystems. While his interests in marine conservation have blossomed over the years, his field research remains firmly rooted on coral reefs, currently on the islands of St. Lucia and Saba in the Caribbean. In both islands he has been studying the effects of marine reserves closed to all fishing. Those studies have revealed both the huge scale of human impacts on the sea, and the means of protecting marine ecosystems from such effects. He is now working to gain acceptance for marine reserves more widely, including in Europe where he is helping fishers to promote the concept within the industry and to politicians.
Callum is currently serving on a US National Research Council Committee on Marine Protected Areas that will report later this year. For the last two years he has also been a member of the Marine Reserves Working Group at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis in Santa Barbara. With this group he has sought to develop a more robust theoretical underpinning for the design and implementation of marine reserves.
In parallel with work on reserves, Callum has also been very active with the Coral Reef Fish Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Working with many colleagues inside and out of this group, he has been developing global maps of the biodiversity distribution of reef fishes and other faunal groups. Those maps have revealed that marine species are more at risk of global extinction than previously believed. Many have small geographic ranges and life history characteristics that render them vulnerable to extinction. However, the maps also show ways to prioritise conservation investment into areas where those resources could be most effective. - Publication quality photographs are available from Callum Roberts illustrating several successful marine protected areas around the world.