Socioeconomic Impacts of Marine Reserves

CORE has the lead role in all socioeconomic aspects of the process to establish marine reserves in National Marine Sanctuaries. CORE's role in the marine reserve process includes providing background socioeconomic information to establish a socioeconomic framework for the study area, collecting data needed to analyze impacts from reserve alternatives, assisting working groups in designing reserve alternatives, and providing objective analyses of reserve alternatives being considered.

Background - Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Tortugas 2000
Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary

Background - Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

In 1997, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) established a network of “no-take areas.” Twenty-two (22) of these Sanctuary Preservation Areas (SPAs) are relatively small. Eighteen (18) are open to nonconsumptive uses, and four (4) are set aside for research only. The 18 SPAs open to nonconsumptive uses (e.g., snorkeling, scuba diving, glass-bottom boat rides) were designed primarily to resolve conflicts between consumptive and nonconsumptive users. Scientists thought that the SPAs were too small and disconnected to achieve off-site fishery benefits.

In 1997, one Ecological Reserve (ER), Sambos, was created. It is nine (9) square miles in size and was designed primarily to protect an ecosystem, though scientists thought that the site might be big enough to achieve off-site fishery benefits. Another ER (110 square miles in the Tortugas area of the FKNMS) was first proposed in 1997, but was delayed due to strong opposition by the fishing community.

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Tortugas 2000

A separate two-year process, called Tortugas 2000, was initiated in 1998 to create the Tortugas ER. A working group of the Sanctuary Advisory Council (SAC) was organized to develop a site under a consensus decision-making rule. The Working Group, like the SAC, was made up of a broad representation of stakeholders. Physical and social science teams were assembled to advise the Working Group. CORE led the Socioeconomic Team. Detailed maps (1 x 1 minute resolution) of each consumptive and nonconsumptive use were provided to the Working Group to assist in designing ER boundaries that would minimize socioeconomic impacts while achieving ecosystem protection objectives. CORE also did socioeconomic impact analyses for the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA), the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Management Plan, the Regulatory Impact Review (RIR), and the Initial and Final Regulatory Flexibility Act (IFRFA) Analyses (impact on small businesses). The maps and reports with socioeconomic impact analyses are included under the theme Tortugas Ecological Reserve.

Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary

Following the success of the Tortugas 2000 process, in 1999 the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS) began a two-year process to create a network of marine reserves (no-take areas). As with the FKNMS, the CINMS Sanctuary Advisory Council (SAC) created the Marine Reserve Working Group (MRWG) representing a broad spectrum of stakeholders. Again, the MRWG operated under a consensus decision-making rule in designing the network of marine reserves. A Science Panel and Socioeconomic Panel were formed to advise the MRWG, and CORE was asked to lead the Socioeconomic Panel. Unlike the Tortugas case, the MRWG did not arrive at a consensus alternative. Now that the State of California has completed the process of designating marine reserves in state water portions of the CINMS, the Pacific Fishery Management Council and the CINMS will continue the process for the portion of marine reserves in federal waters. CORE will do all the socioeconomic impact analyses to support the Federal process.All results developed as part of this process will be posted here under the theme Channel Islands Marine Reserve.


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