Abstract
Marine protected areas serve as a valuable tool to conserve and protect vast regions of the world’s marine ecosystems. A successful MPA strives to achieve more than ocean conservation. An MPA cannot meet the conservation goals without elements such as inclusion of community engagement, a strong management plan, a multi-objective agenda, and socioeconomic achievements within the community. There are multiple global targets calling for greater protection of the oceans through the use of marine protected areas, but still there are numerous implemented MPAs that fail to achieve the primary goal of biodiversity and ecosystem conservation. The Marine Conservation Institute, a non-profit global ocean conservation organization, introduced the Blue Parks Initiative to recognize global MPAs that achieve the high standards laid out by the institute to protect and conserve marine biodiversity (Marine Conservation Institute. 2020). For MPAs that failed to meet the criteria for a Blue Parks Award, many scientists, stakeholders, and community members have concerns regarding the effectiveness of MPAs as a form of ocean protection. The goal of this case study was to assess Caribbean MPAs that have been dismissed from consideration for an award by pinpointing the components behind their failure to meet the Blue Parks Criteria, and then offer solutions to managers for future reassessment of the area. Completing Blue Parks evaluations on the dismissed Caribbean MPAs identified specific areas within the management framework that negatively impacted MPA performance. It provided insight for managers to see where improvements to management framework need to be made so that the MPA may have the potential to qualify for a future Blue Parks Award. Increasing the percentage of effective ocean conservation initiatives starts by first isolating the causes of poor performance and identifying plausible and sustainable solutions.