Fishing with a new research method nets bountiful insights

Why might fish stocks be more depleted inside a marine protected area (MPA) than outside of it? This and other mysteries are elucidated in a Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) study that uses a ‘realist synthesis’ approach to understand when, how, where and why the establishment of MPAs is likely to result in better environmental conditions than other ownership arrangements. The paper brings together evidence from 31 articles about MPAs in a wide range of contexts in Africa, Asia and Latin America. In doing so, it uses fisheries as a particular lens for addressing the broader, longstanding question for natural resource management: Given the complexity and diversity of socio-ecological systems around the world, how can we devise the best ways to intervene to promote sustainability? The answer, it seems, may rely not only on the interventions, but also on the research method from which they were devised. Read the full story on Forests News.