Climate change resilience and socioeconomic impacts of MPAs and MPA networks in the Caribbean. Case study: evaluation of the effectiveness of the management of MPAs and coastal zones in the Dominican Republic

Abstract

Many Caribbean nations have established marine protected areas (MPAs) to preserve marine biodiversity and maintain their economically important marine resources. In some Caribbean nations, in particular the Dominican Republic, most MPAs have failed in these respects and have remained “paper parks” due to being modeled along traditional conservation lines without careful consideration of socioeconomic factors, good management practices or increasingly important climate change factors. Successful Caribbean MPAs and MPA networks effectively function as refuges, attractions, sources of socioeconomic development and ecosystem-based climate change resilience mechanisms.