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Published VersionCC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Shortfalls in the protection of Important Shark and Ray Areas undermine shark conservation efforts in the Central and South American Pacific
Marine Policy, Vol.171, pp.1-14
2025
Abstract
Global biodiversity targets require nations to designate 30 % of their marine waters as protected areas by 2030. Sharks, rays, and chimaeras (hereafter ‘sharks’) are key components of aquatic ecosystems; however, over a third are globally threatened with extinction. Across the Central and South American Pacific Ocean region, we (i) assessed trends in Marine Protected Area (MPA) expansion and extent across the 12 nations of the region; (ii) quantified the spatial overlap between MPAs and Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRAs); and (iii) evaluated the effectiveness of the current MPA governance structure at protecting sharks and their critical habitat. There has been a recent rapid increase in the establishment of MPAs with 90 % of current MPAs designated since 2010. Yet, El Salvador, Guatemala, Peru, and Honduras still protect less than 10 % of their waters. We find that ISRAs overlap with all MPAs by only 15.6 % and with no-take MPAs by 7.3 %. This raises concerns about the low level of protection afforded to critical shark habitats in the region. Of 182 MPAs identified, 41.8 % do not have a management plan, comprising 39.8 % of the total MPA surface area. Mexico, Costa Rica, and Colombia have relatively strong governance frameworks in place and, along with Panama, Honduras, and Ecuador, represent the highest overlap between MPAs and ISRAs. However, the contribution of the remaining six countries to shark protection via MPAs is low based on limited spatial overlap with ISRAs (<2 %). As countries mobilise to meet the 30×30 target, we propose considering ISRAs as a key component of spatial planning when designing new MPAs, designating existing partially protected areas as no-take zones, or reshaping the boundaries of existing MPAs.
Details
- Title
- Shortfalls in the protection of Important Shark and Ray Areas undermine shark conservation efforts in the Central and South American Pacific
- Authors
- Théophile L. Mouton - IUCN-SSCSSGAdriana Gonzalez-Pestana - IUCN-SSCSSGChristoph A. Rohner - IUCN-SSCSSGRyan Charles - IUCN-SSCSSGEmiliano García-Rodríguez - IUCN-SSCSSGPeter M. Kyne - IUCN-SSCSSGAmanda Batlle-Morera - IUCN-SSCSSGGiuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara - IUCN-SSCSSGAsia O. Armstrong - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringEnzo Acuña - Universidad Católica del NorteJoanna Alfaro-Shigueto - Universidad Científica del SurRandall Arauz - MigraMar (United States)Cristopher G. Avalos-Castillo - IUCN-SSCSSGEly Augustinus - IUCN-SSCSSGSandra Bessudo - MigraMar (United States)Enrique Barraza - Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos NaturalesCarlos Bustamante - IUCN-SSCSSGElpis J. Chávez - MigraMar (United States)Eduardo Ramon Espinoza - Charles Darwin FoundationMario Espinoza - IUCN-SSCSSGAna Hacohen-Domené - IUCN-SSCSSGAlex R. Hearn - IUCN-SSCSSGGrettel M. Hernández - Instituto Nicaraguense de Pesca y AcuiculturaFelipe Galván-Magaña - Instituto Politécnico NacionalJosé A. Gonzalez-Leiva - Francisco Gavidia UniversityJames T. Ketchum - MigraMar (United States)Felipe Ladino - Fundación Malpelo y Otros Ecosistemas Marinos (Colombia)Frida Lara-Lizardi - MigraMar (United States)Jorge Manuel Morales-Saldaña - IUCN-SSCSSGNaití Morales Serrano - Universidad Católica del NorteJeffry Madrigal-Mesén - Centro Rescate de Especies Marinas Amenazadas (Costa Rica)Paola A. Mejía-Falla - IUCN-SSCSSGAndrés F. Navia - IUCN-SSCSSGGabriela M. Ochoa - Florida International UniversityMarta D. Palacios - Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, La Paz 23096, MexicoCésar R. Peñaherrera-Palma - MigraMar (United States)Francisco Polanco-Vásquez - IUCN-SSCSSGYehudi Rodríguez-Arriatti - Shark Defenders (Panama)Luz E. Saldaña-Ruiz - Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education at EnsenadaOscar Sosa-Nishizaki - IUCN-SSCSSGJavier Tovar-Ávila - National Fisheries and Aquaculture Institute (INAPESCA), MexicoÁngel J. Vega - National Fisheries and Aquaculture Institute (INAPESCA), MexicoXimena Velez-Zuazo - IUCN-SSCSSGMelany Villate-Moreno - Fundación MarAdentro (Colombia)Ilena Zanella - Guanacaste Conservation AreaRima W. Jabado (Corresponding Author) - IUCN-SSCSSG
- Publication details
- Marine Policy, Vol.171, pp.1-14
- Publisher
- Elsevier Ltd
- Date published
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.marpol.2024.106448
- ISSN
- 1872-9460; 0308-597X
- Copyright note
- © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync-nd/4.0/).
- Data Availability
- All ISRA data are available freely online. The remaining data will be available upon request. All code associated with this work will be uploaded onto GitHub upon acceptance of the manuscript
- Grant note
- This project was funded by the Shark Conservation Fund, a philanthropic collaborative pooling expertise and resources to meet the threats facing the world’s sharks and rays. The Shark Conservation Fund is a project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991083397802621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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