MPAs – a shared endeavour

2 July 2026

 

June is ocean month around the world, and our Co-founder Belinda Bramley was delighted to participate in a World Ocean Conference Week event in Cork, Ireland, earlier this month.

Organised by Fair Seas, the gathering included ocean advocates, the fishing community, government, industry and key stakeholders to map out Ireland’s next steps for designating and managing a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The aim of the conference was to learn from best practices from across the world and develop an understanding of how Ireland can become a world leader in ocean conservation.

Belinda presented in Session 2 – From Designation to Delivery: Making Marine Protected Areas Effective, along with other international speakers from IUCN, Portugal, Turkey and California. This session showcased international best-practice examples of Marine Protected Area designation and management, highlighting the practical principles and approaches that enable effective marine protection.

She took the opportunity to highlight some successful developing and operational MPAs, emphasising that international examples show effective MPAs are built on trust, long-term relationships, a willingness to try new approaches while ensuring all voices are heard, respect for longstanding traditional knowledge and culture and learning by doing.

During the panel discussion, Belinda noted that “the best things happen when they are done locally, and we should learn from that, and from communities about how to get it done. We can’t keep going with this top down approach that isn’t working”.

 

One of the examples she featured in her presentation was the work of Community of Arran Seabed Trust, around an MPA originally instigated by local members of the Isle of Arran community. A new study led by the University of Exeter shows that its highly protected seabed habitats have supported a doubling of species richness and three times more infaunal abundance than areas without strict protection. This level of high protection within the South Arran MPA also provides a unique study window into shifting ecological baselines and the role of MPAs in carbon storage. A well-protected, community-enforced site may be one of the only places where researchers can glimpse what a recovering soft-sediment ecosystem actually looks like. Crucially, this research was only possible because of sustained community leadership and stewardship.

 

In her interview with the Irish Examiner, Belinda noted:

“Arran Seabed Trust is a great example from Scotland of a community that just took action and closed off an area to bottom-towed fishing and now they’re seeing the benefits of it not only for their scallop fisheries but their overall seabed. It’s cases like that, where it’s often down to one individual who is passionate at local level, where we can see great results.

“Throughout the world, the most effective and long-standing marine protected areas that we can look to have been a partnership between environmental organisations and local and national government as well as, crucially, fisheries, tourist industries, guide operators and local people, so that it’s a shared endeavour and a shared responsibility.”

We are grateful to Fair Seas for the opportunity to join this MPA gathering and all of us at the PAF are excited to follow Ireland’s journey towards more effective and inclusive MPAs for vibrant seas and coastal communities!