Buffer Zones in Canadian Marine Protected Areas: Design Process to Date and Future Recommendations

Abstract

Marine Protected Area (MPA) practitioners and decision-makers spend a long time and substantial effort establishing an MPA. Yet, pressures outside of the MPA boundaries remain. Surrounding activities and edge effects can limit an MPA's conservation potential and minimize its ability to achieve conservation objectives. To mitigate the pressure of external activities and reduce edge effects, some MPA practitioners include buffer zones within MPAs. However, their design processes are not well documented in Canada nor internationally, and existing literature on buffer zones is limited. For these reasons, this project aims to determine 1) what the process has been to design buffer zones for select MPAs in Canada with buffers, 2a) if any tools exist to support the design of MPA buffer zones, 2b) if new tools could be developed to support buffer zone design in MPAs such as decision trees, frameworks, assessments, or processes, and 3) what processes or elements MPA practitioners should consider in the future when designing buffer zones within MPAs. To answer these questions, the buffer systems of three different MPAs were used as case studies and compared: the Gully MPA, the Hecate Strait/Queen Charlotte Sound MPA, and the Tarium Niryutait MPA. For each MPA, interviews with practitioners were conducted to document each design process that was used and identify the remaining knowledge gaps. Based on the collected information, the main recommendations outline the need for a defined process to ensure consistency between regions and development of guiding principles for buffer zone design.