Management Effectiveness of Protected and Conserved Areas (MEPCA) Indicator

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF) contains 23 targets for 2030 and four goals for 2050 calling for urgent actions to conserve biodiversity (CBD 2022). Target 3 focuses on PAs and OECMs: 

'Ensure and enable that by 2030 at least 30 per cent of terrestrial and inland waters, and of marine and coastal areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services, are effectively conserved and managed through ecologically representative, well-connected and equitably governed systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, recognizing indigenous and traditional territories, where applicable, and integrated into wider landscapes, seascapes and the ocean, while ensuring that any sustainable use, where appropriate in such areas, is fully consistent with conservation outcomes, recognizing and respecting the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities, including over their traditional territories.’ 

Indicators are required to monitor how well this target is being met. Whilst there are well-established operational indicators to measure global coverage of terrestrial and marine PAs and OECMs (UNEP-WCMC & IUCN 2021), there previously has been no widely adopted global indicator that measures how effectively these areas are managed and the conservation outcomes they are achieving. 

Existing indicators of PA effectiveness have largely focused on whether an assessment of management effectiveness has taken place rather than understanding how effective the management is. Furthermore, existing methods of assessing PA management effectiveness have focused largely on management process rather than biodiversity outcomes (Visconti et al. 2019).

In response, JNCC, commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), developed a new globally applicable indicator of Protected and Conserved Area (PCA) management effectiveness, known as the Management Effectiveness of Protected and Conserved Areas (MEPCA) indicator. The MEPCA indicator is designed with a strong focus on achievement of conservation objectives and outcomes, to be applicable at the national and global level, for terrestrial, coastal and marine areas. 

The MEPCA indicator was based on the existing qualitative OSPAR management status four question approach (used in the biennial status assessments of the OSPAR MPA network). It is a framework indicator capable of absorbing existing PA/OECM effectiveness data where they exist or has the ability to make a new assessment, for a streamlined assessment approach. Importantly, the indicator draws focus to the delivery of conservation outcomes, as a proxy for understanding management effectiveness. With the above elements in mind, the indicator is considered relatively simple, easy to understand, and flexible, so that it is globally applicable. 

Review of existing approaches: 2021 to 2022

A review of existing approaches to assessing protected area management effectiveness (PAME) and translation of the OSPAR Management Status Approach was undertaken in 2021 and 2022.

The early development stages were focused on adapting the OSPAR approach for assessing PCA management effectiveness to focus on the extent to which ecological conservation outcomes of a PCA are met, rather than assessing broader social and cultural objectives.

A case study of national wildlife areas in Canada was undertaken to explore the difference in scoring between an adapted version of the MEPCA indicator and the Canada-METT (management effectiveness tracking tool).

Trialling the approach: 2022 to 2023

It is critical that the MEPCA indicator is adaptable to existing practices and approaches in a broad range of global contexts and therein does not increase the reporting burden on countries. As such, part of our work to date has been trialing the approach with real world examples.

The MEPCA indicator has been trialled in the following locations: North-East Atlantic Region: OSPAR MPA Network – UK, Germany, Spain, Canada, Costa Rica, Saint Helena, British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), Scotland and Australia. 

The trialling across countries (see Figure 1), exploring varied PCA and governance types, provided the opportunity to test the indicator and its applicability in a global context. The results of the workshop and case studies identified areas of improvement, which were used to update and develop the MEPCA indicator to improve usability and ensure global applicability. 

Socialising the indicator: 2022 to 2023

• OSPAR ICG-MPA (October 2022): The MEPCA indicator was introduced to OSPAR ICG-MPA to present the indicator, how it was being developed and support participation at the development workshops.
• MEDPAN (October 2022): The goals of the conference were to identify key drivers to effective MPA management, best practices, share methods for assessing MPAs and contribute to the development of standard indicators of MPA management effectiveness. The indicator was presented and important feedback was provided for the development.
• Virtual Workshop (October and November 2022): To further socialise the MEPCA indicator with key global experts (see Figure 2), a virtual workshop was held in 2022. Participants were provided with an overview of the work undertaken to date and to further discuss and critically test the weightings and definitions of the metrics (Blanchard et al., 2022). Further information on changes following the workshops is available in the project development report, most notably the removal of assigning different weightings based on governance types and refined definitions to improve globally applicability.

• CBD COP 15 (December 2022): A key step in the global recognition of the indicator was its listing as a complementary indicator in the KM-GBF Monitoring Framework to support the assessment of progress towards Target 3. Beyond the core negotiations, the indicator was also presented through different events and meetings. To support its listing as a complementary indicator a technical report was submitted to the CBD ahead of COP15 detailing its development up to November 2022 (Submission from the UK to CBD, 2022). 
• IMPAC5 (February 2023): Following the global momentum from CBD COP15, the 5th International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5) provided another opportunity to socialise the MEPCA indicator to an audience of ocean conservation experts.
• Progress in Marine Conservation (September 2023): An opportunity to socialise the tool for wider use. The theme of the 6th international conference on Progress in Marine Conservation was “how to stop biodiversity less – from knowledge to action”.
• OSPAR ICG-MPA (November 2023): Progress update on the amendments to the MEPCA indicator following the workshops and providing further information on the metrics and weightings to assess management effectiveness. It was proposed that the indicator should the trialled for suitability as the OSPAR MPA management effectiveness assessment, as such, a trial was subsequently undertaken in 2024 and findings discussed at the 2024 meeting.

Additional literature referencing the MEPCA indicator

Environmental Improvement Plan. Annual Progress Report – September 2024 – September 2025. Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.

Biodiversity Programme Advisory Group – target indicator: recommendations workshop. 2025. Scottish Government.

Wells, S., Brooks, S., and Wenzel, L. 2026. Tools for assessing the effective management and equitable governance of marine protected and conserved areas. Marine Policy. 185. doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2025.106974