Table 1 Documented links between MPAs and SDG targets
From: Area based conservation tools have mixed effects across all SDGs but research may overstate effects
SDG | Positive Links | Negative Links | |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | No Poverty | - reduce exposure to to extreme events (SDG 1.5) - economic opportunities through ecotourism, fishing (SDG 1.1, 1.2) - economic opportunities increase community empowerment (SDG 1.4) | - inequitable benefits (SDG 1.1) - displaced communities (SDG 1.1, 1.2, 1.5) - limit access to resources (SDG 1.4) - limit local roles in decision-making (SDG 1.4) - coercive and forced displacement with uncertain rights of return (SDG 1.4) |
2 | Zero Hunger | - increased productivity, diversity, and resilience of ecosystem for food production (SDG 2.1, 2.2, 2.4) | - restrict local access to local resources (SDGs 2.1, 2.3) - leads to poverty traps increasing poaching and decreasing resilience (SDG 2.3) - those who are already advantaged will benefit while others will not (SDG 2.1,2.3) |
3 | Good health and well-being | - increased food and nutrition (SDG 3.2. SDG 3.4) | - displacement of resource use entrenches food insecurity (SDG 3.2) - increased access to polluted seafood have outsized negative effects on infant health (SDG 3.4) |
4 | Quality education | - hiring youth in conservation programs for training (SDG 4.4, 4.7) | - limiting activities can create fewer opportunities for youth (SDG 4.4) - community displacement can lead to loss of educational and social facilities (SDG 4.7) |
5 | Gender equality | - can provide opportunities for women in leadership (SDG 5.5, 5.a) | - management can be male dominant (SDG 5.1, 5.5) - protection prioritizes male fisheries and women can increase food insecurity (SDG 5.5,5.a) |
6 | Clean water and sanitation | - reduce activities which cause water pollution (SDGs 6.3, 6.6) | - displace activities causing pollution (SDG 6.3) - protected areas cannot protect against development outside of boundaries, giving false sense of protection (SDG 6.6) |
7 | Affordable and clean energy | - compatibility with clean energy development (SDG 7.b) | - spatial conflicts with potential energy sites (SDG 7.b) |
8 | Decent work and economic growth | - increased marine productivity leading to higher incomes (SDGs 8.1, 8.2, 8.4, 8.5, 8.9) | - loss of resource access and income (SDG 8.1, 8.2, 8.4, 8.5, 8.9) - displaced environmental impact leads to loss of employment and income (SDG 8.1, 8.2, 8.4, 8.5, 8.9) - foreign run eco-tourism displaces local economies (SDG 8.5, 8.9) |
9 | Industries, innovation and infrastructure | - provide inspiration for innovation in blue economy (SDG 9.5) - Indigenous protected areas employ more Indigenous people in research and development (SDG 9.5, 9.a) | - incompatibilities with infrastructure (SDG 9.1, 9.a) - local and Indigenous priorities often not considered and fails to protect important areas (SDG 9.5, 9.a) |
10 | Reduced inequalities | - increased ecosystem production can lead to poverty alleviation (SDG 10.1) - education and capacity building initiatives (SDG 10.2, 10.3) | - displacement of communities, loss of income for the poorest (SDG 10.1, 10.2, 10.3) - benefits captured by those already well-off and others excluded (SDG 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.6) - limited voice of small island states in international conservation discussions (SDG 10.6) |
11 | Sustainable cities and communities | - protecting culturally important sites (SDG 11.4) - giving greater control to local communities (SDG 11.b) | - people get displaced from their homes (SDG 11.1) - limit local input and access to important sites (SDG 11.4, 11.b) |
12 | Responsible consumption and production | - increased sustainable use of resources (SDG 12.2, 12.4) - cooperation includes knowledge sharing (SDGs 12.8, 12.a, 12.b) | - realization of resource sustainability due in part of chance and not just protected area establishment and operation (SDG 12.2) - protected areas often placed in areas not facing threat, limiting their potential (SDG 12.2) - poor management and communication can lead to increased illegal activity (SDG 12.8, 12.a, 12.b) |
13 | Climate action | - increase resilience to hazards (SDG 13.1) - participation of stakeholders increases capacity for adaptation (SDG 13.3) | - limiting access to resources can make people more vulnerable to hazards (SDG 13.1) - uncertainty around the effectiveness of protected areas in addressing climate change and hazards, including in level of protection and enforcement (SDG 13.3) |
14 | Life below water | -reduced pollution (SDG 14.1) - fisheries restoration and marine conservation (SDG 14.2, 14.4, 14.5) - contribution to sustainable development through tourism opportunities in small island states (SDG 14.7). | - ecotourism adds pollution (SDG 14.1) - displace fisheries (SDG 14.4, 14.b) - disempower local communities and undermine coastal management (SDG 14.2) - “paper parks” create illusion of protection while continued degradation (SDG 14.2, 14.5) |
15 | Life on land | - flooding and erosion protection (SDG 15.5) | - enhance poaching and trafficking where enforcement low (SDG 15.7, 15.c) - displace destructive efforts elsewhere (SDG 15.5) |
16 | Peace, Justic and strong institutions | - decentralized and locally-controlled MPAs can increase local support and community links (SDGs 16.5, 16.6, 16.7) - protected areas allow for an entry way to global conservation planning for developing nations (SDG 16.8) | - existing disparities can be enhanced through protected area establishment, increasing conflict (SDG 16.5, 16.6, 16.7) |
17 | Partnerships for the goals | - promote collaborative decision-making and internation collaboration (SDG 17.16) - “debt for nature swaps” help debt reduction (SDG 17.4) | - entrench colonial dynamics and limit sovereignty of small islands, including in debt-for-nature swaps (SDG 17.4) |
