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The largest Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), which restrict fishing for conservation or fisheries benefits, span up to 370km from the shore. Some are larger than France. As you might imagine, protecting such vast expanses of the ocean can bring huge benefits to marine ecosystems.

A global network of marine protected areas for food

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are conservation tools that are increasingly implemented, with growing national commitments for MPA expansion. Perhaps the greatest challenge to expanded use of MPAs is the perceived trade-off between protection and food production. Since MPAs can benefit both conservation and fisheries in areas experiencing overfishing and since overfishing is common in many coastal nations, we ask how MPAs can be designed specifically to improve fisheries yields.

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The ‘Tonga State of Environment Report 2018’ highlights that collaborations between the Ministry of Fisheries and coastal communities in the implementation of Special Management Areas have contributed to the protection of marine species, and helped ensure that local communities maintain their abi