living with the sea, local efforts buffer effects of global change

Abstract

Establishment of marine managed areas (MMAs) is a long-term investment in secure and sustainable ecosystems—secure for the people that depend on them for sustenance and livelihoods, sustainable in terms of the long-term persistence of habitats and species present. The goal of MMAs is to operate over timescales of multiple generations and deliver returns of increased diversity and abundance of native organisms and ecosystem resilience, as the expected return of ecosystem health and robustness can take decades.