Non-compliance is one of the most persistent and underappreciated challenges facing MPAs worldwide, yet it rarely gets the systematic attention it deserves. Researchers at James Cook University, in collaboration with WildAid’s Marine Program, the Waitt Institute, and the University of Hawaii-Hilo, have just published a novel compliance framework in Conservation Biology that is designed to help MPA practitioners build effective, lasting compliance programs. The research brings together decades of on-the-ground MPA management experience across diverse cultural and regulatory contexts, from small community tabu areas in Papua New Guinea to large-scale parks like the Great Barrier Reef, to offer guidance that is evidence-based and practically oriented. The full paper including supplementary material is available (open access) at here.
Lead author Dr. Brock Bergseth can be contacted at brock.bergseth@jcu.edu.au for further questions.