JNCC has launched a new global indicator, designed to improve the management effectiveness assessments of protected and conserved areas (PCAs). The Management Effectiveness of Protected and Conserved Areas (MEPCA) Indicator aims to support tracking the achievement of conservation outcomes across marine, freshwater, and terrestrial environments.
The launch of this tool comes at a critical time, as the world faces an unprecedented decline in biodiversity. In response to this crisis, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) adopted a global target in December 2022 to effectively conserve and manage at least 30% of land and ocean globally within protected and conserved areas by 2030.
As global coverage of these PCAs increases, it is vital to ensure that they are managed effectively to support biodiversity recovery. The tool provides a framework indicator capable of absorbing existing PCA management effectiveness assessments into a consistent format, allowing the global community to track whether the world’s PCAs are effectively managed and achieving positive outcomes for biodiversity.
The MEPCA Indicator was commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to be developed by JNCC. It was built upon existing methods, including the OSPAR Four Question Approach (a method which assesses the management status of marine protected areas (MPAs) in the OSPAR North-East Atlantic region), and has been rigorously tested across 549 PCAs in nine countries.
Key features of the MEPCA Indicator include:
- Quantitative assessment: The tool provides measurable outputs to evaluate the management effectiveness of PCAs.
- Global applicability: It can be used for marine, freshwater, and terrestrial protected areas, as well as Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs).
- Flexibility: The indicator can utilise existing Protected Area Management Effectiveness (PAME) assessments or direct evidence for its evaluation.
- Accessibility: Available in a spreadsheet format, the tool produces a straightforward 'pass' or 'inadequate' result for each assessed area.
The MEPCA Indicator represents a significant step forward in our ability to measure the effectiveness of PCA management. It focusses not just on processes, but on actual conservation outcomes, which is crucial for biodiversity protection.
The indicator's development involved extensive consultation with PCA management authorities in various countries, including Australia, Canada, and Costa Rica. It was presented at several international meetings, conferences and workshops, including the CBD COP15 in Montreal, IMPAC5 in Vancouver, MEDPAN in Montenegro and Progress in Marine Conservation in Stralsund.
Conservation managers and policymakers are encouraged to integrate this new tool into their work on management effectiveness, both for domestic and international applications including to support countries' national reporting to the CBD. The full report on the indicator's development is now available on our Resource Hub.
For more information on the MEPCA Indicator and its application, please visit our MEPCA indicator webpage.