Data from: Benefits and challenges of scaling up expansion of marine protected area networks in the Verde Island Passage, Central Philippines

Locally-established marine protected areas (MPAs) have been proven to
achieve local-scale fisheries and conservation objectives. However, since
many of these MPAs were not designed to form ecologically-connected
networks, their contributions to broader-scale goals such as
complementarity and connectivity can be limited. In contrast, integrated
networks of MPAs designed with systematic conservation planning are
assumed to be more effective—ecologically, socially, and economically—than
collections of locally-established MPAs. There is, however, little
empirical evidence that clearly demonstrates the supposed advantages of
systematic MPA networks. A key reason is the poor record of implementation
of systematic plans attributable to lack of local buy-in. An intermediate
scenario for the expansion of MPAs is scaling up of local decisions,
whereby locally-driven MPA initiatives are coordinated through
collaborative partnerships among local governments and their communities.
Coordination has the potential to extend the benefits of individual MPAs
and perhaps to approach the potential benefits offered by systematic MPA
networks. We evaluated the benefits of scaling up local MPAs to form
networks by simulating seven expansion scenarios for MPAs in the Verde
Island Passage, central Philippines. The scenarios were: uncoordinated
community-based establishment of MPAs; two scenarios reflecting different
levels of coordinated MPA expansion through collaborative partnerships;
and four scenarios guided by systematic conservation planning with
different contexts for governance. For each scenario, we measured benefits
through time in terms of achievement of objectives for representation of
marine habitats. We found that: in any governance context, systematic
networks were more efficient than non-systematic ones; systematic networks
were more efficient in broader governance contexts; and, contrary to
expectations but with caveats, the uncoordinated scenario was slightly
more efficient than the coordinated scenarios. Overall, however,
coordinated MPA networks have the potential to be more efficient than the
uncoordinated ones, especially when coordinated planning uses systematic
methods.