• Background

• Current Research Projects
• Monitoring and evaluation of spatially managed marine areas (MESMA)
• Governing MPAs: a guide to getting the balance right
• Issues raised by the forthcoming Marine Bill.

• Current PhDs
• The designation of a network of MPAs off California: an analysis of the process
• Ecotourism in National Parks, Taiwan
• Governance of Marine Protected Areas in China.
• An analysis of partnership approaches to achieve strategic marine conservation objectives and of the perspectives of different actors on such approaches.

• Past Research Projects
• Fishing industry and related perspectives on no-take MPA proposals in SW England.
• Social, economic & legal constraints to highly protected marine areas in Wales
• Assessment of different approaches to managing marine protected areas in England
• Community & public participation in flood & coastal defence
• The promotion of stakeholder participation in the Columbretes MPA, Spain
• Evaluation of stakeholder involvement in UK marine SACs
• Promoting relevant authority and stakeholder participation in marine SACs in the Azores
• Development of meaningful indicators of the success of estuarine management partnerships
• VALCOAST

• Past PhDs
  • Offshore Marine Conservation in the North-East Atlantic: opportunities and challenges for the developing regime.
  • An analysis of issues concerning the Lošinj archipelago MPA, Croatia.

• Contact Information

My research is focused on various aspects of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs):-

• Analysis of issues related to the governance of marine protected areas (MPAs), focusing in particular on the role of social capital and the resilience of governance structures and social capital to top-down interventions. This research is relevant to both the MPA and marine resource management theories/literatures and to wider natural resource governance theories/literatures. My research is recognised as making an important contribution by considering governance issues where top-down biodiversity conservation priorities have a significant influence, as most previous governance analyses have been focused on self-governing communities with an emphasis on sustainable resource exploitation.
• Analysis of issues related to the development of approaches to achieve both fish stock and marine biodiversity conservation objectives, focusing on the potential of no-take MPAs, multiple-use MPAs and wider marine resource management approaches that are being promoted as alternatives to site-based approaches. The management of marine ‘resources’ is in the process of shifting from a resource conservation approach to one also based on wider preservationist and ecocentric concerns. This presents fundamental challenges to the current marine resource management paradigm and raises many interesting issues from ecological, fisheries and governance research perspectives. The forthcoming UK Marine Bill is an important focus of this research.

Monitoring and evaluation of spatially managed marine areas (MESMA): this project has now been officially approved and will start on 1 November 2009. Dr Peter Jones is part of a consortium of researchers around the EU that has been awarded a EUR 6,568,846 grant under the European Commission's 7th Framework Programme. This major study will play a key role in the development and implementation of European policies on marine ecosystem-based management, particularly through marine spatial planning initiatives under the Marine Strategy Directive and marine protected areas under the Habitats Directive. It will also lead to major contributions to relevant theories/literatures on implementing the ecosystem-based approach to managing our seas. Dr Jones is leading the overarching work programme on governance issues, that will analyse different approaches to implementing marine spatial planning, including through marine protected areas. The UCL grant is EUR 665,991 and the project will run for four years (2009-12). The project is led by the Institute for Marine Resources & Ecosystem Studies (IMARES, The Netherlands) and involves 18 research organisations from 12 EU and related countries. This project is very relevant to the development and implementation of marine spatial planning (MSP) that is being promoted around the UK through the Marine Bill.

Governing MPAs: a guide to getting the balance right. How can top-down and bottom up approaches to MPA management be combined? This question is being addressed through a project involving MPA case studies around the world, with the aim of producing a manual ‘Governing MPAs – a guide to getting the balance right’. This project is a collaboration between Dr Peter Jones (University College London), Dr Elizabeth De Santo (Dalhousie University)and IUCN WCPA-Marine/GMP, with funding from the United Nations Environment Programme (Marine & Coastal Ecosystem Branch – Marine Ecosystem Unit). It is exploring how a balance can be achieved between providing for meaningful stakeholder participation in MPA decision-making processes and providing for the fulfilment of strategic marine biodiversity conservation objectives. It is premised on the view that the successful governance of MPAs essentially involves addressing basic conflicts between conserving biodiversity and exploiting marine resources, and that a balanced approach to addressing such conflicts can be achieved through an appropriate combination of incentives. The different ways in which this balance has been achieved in different MPAs will be analysed, providing for the development of recommendations on ‘good practice’ in different contexts. The details of this study can be found in the project description, including a list of case studies and further information on the rationale behind the study. There were preliminary workshops to discuss the project as part of the International Marine Protected Congress (IMPAC2 May 2009) and the main project workshop will be in Losinj, Croatia in October 2009. It is planned that the manual will be published by March 2010.

Issues raised by the forthcoming Marine Bill: the emerging marine governance framework for the UK poses many challenges as well as presenting important opportunities. I am tracking progress and analysing the issues raised. See initial paper on this research:

Jones P.J.S. (2006) The Marine Bill: cornucopia or Pandora’s Box? ECOS: A Review of Conservation 27(2), 1-6 (Editorial in a special issue on the Marine Bill of the journal of the British Association of Nature Conservationists). Published version of paper (edited) - Full version of paper.

I provided a written Memorandum of Evidence on the role of the precautionary principle in justifying highly protected marine reserves (DMB3, Ev 145-147, Volume II of JCDMB Report) to the Joint Committee on the Draft Marine Bill. This evidence was cited in supporting the Joint Committee's Recommendation that the precautionary principle should be employed to select Marine Conservation Zones where there is limited knowledge (para. 126, page 55, Volume I of JCDMB Report).

I am part of a consortium led by ABPmer that will be advising the government on how socio-economic considerations can be taken into account when designing the network of marine conservation zones that the Marine Bill will provide: Socio-economic data – determining how and what to take into account in the planning of marine protected area networks - MB0104. It is planned that MCZs and European Marine Sites will together form an 'ecologically coherent network' of MPAs but I have questioned whether this is a realistic aim in the recent paper crossing the divide.

I also undertake research on fishing industry views on the implications of the Marine Bill, particularly the issues raised by marine conservation zone proposals (see below) and wrote a briefing for Wildlife & Countryside LINK's Marine Bill campaign on why the weaknesses of the statutory marine nature reserve provisions must not be repeated in the Marine Bill. Most of my research projects listed on this page and my publications are relevant to the development and implementation of the Marine Bill.

Current PhDs

The designation of a network of MPAs off California: an analysis of the process: Minsuk Jun, Oct 2007-Sept 2010

Ecotourism in National Parks, Taiwan: Chihwei Chu, Oct 2007-Sept 2010

Governance of Marine Protected Areas in China: this PhD research will address three questions:-

• How can social capital be developed under a top-down management regime to support successful partnerships as a means of overcoming collective action problems to effectively achieve the social and ecological objectives of MPAs in China?
• What is the influence of the ‘Chinese model’ of civil society in collaborative decision-making and management processes for MPAs?
• What are the particular policy instruments and institutional approaches that will need to be developed to support successful partnerships in the management of MPAs in such emerging and centralised countries?

Qiu W., Wang B., Jones P.J.S. and Axmacher J. (2009) Challenges in developing China’s marine protected areas system. Marine Policy 33(4), 599-605. DOI - Copy of paper

An analysis of partnership approaches to achieve strategic marine conservation objectives and of the perspectives of different actors on such approaches: ESRC CASE studentship (PhD student Tom Roberts) in collaboration with Natural England (Kate Bull). January 2006 - December 2008. See original ESRC project proposal for more details. Paper arising from this research:-

Roberts T. and Jones P.J.S (2009) Shellfishing, eider ducks and nature conservation on the Wash: questions raised by a fractured partnership. Society & Natural Resources 22(6), 538-553. DOI - Copy of paper

Fishing industry and related perspectives on no-take MPA proposals in SW England: this project explored different views on recent proposals that 20-30% of the area of the UK's seas should be closed to fishing and the related issues raised by the then forthcoming Marine Bill. It built on a paper on the collective action problems posed by no-take zones and involved a programme of interviews with fishermen and their representatives in Devon/Cornwall (June - October 2005). These interviews explored different views on the issues raised by no-take MPA proposals. This study was funded by a sabbatical research grant from UCL's Faculty of Social & Historical Sciences. Final Report (August 2007). Copy of 1st paper from this study: Fishing industry and related perspectives on the issues raised by no-take marine protected area proposals. Copy of 2nd paper from this study: Equity, justice and power issues raised by no-take MPA proposals.

Social, economic & legal constraints to highly protected marine areas in Wales: consultancy study for Countryside Council for Wales in collaboration with an ecologist and a barrister. My focus was on social constraints (July –Sept 06)

Assessment of different approaches to managing marine protected areas in England: consultancy study for English Nature in collaboration with the Marine Institute, University of Plymouth (July – Sept 2006). Report: Methods for Managing MPAs

Community and public participation - risk communication and improving decision-making in flood & coastal defence: project under DEFRA/EA Flood and Coastal Defence Research Programme (Policy Development Theme); subcontractor to Sott Wilson, focusing particularly on the design and facilitation of stakeholder workshops, editing reports and providing general advice; Nov 2001 - April 2003. See DEFRA project web site. Download a copy of the project report or a conference paper that summarises the findings of this project.

The promotion of stakeholder participation in the Columbretes MPA, Spain: advising the Valencian Regional Government in collaboration with the University of Valencia (Prof's Ernest Garcia & Francesc La Roca) as to the development of a strategic approach to the promotion of stakeholder participation in the expansion of the Columbretes MPA. Sept 2002, funded by the Valencian Regional Government.

Evaluation of stakeholder involvement in UK marine SACs: in collaboration with Professor Jacquie Burgess, Environment & Society Research Unit (ESRU), Dept of Geography. Involved interviews with project officers and relevant authorities to evaluate approaches employed to involve stakeholders in the management scheme preparation process and make recommendations concerning good practice in various contexts. April 1999 - March 2001, funded by English Nature under EC LIFE demonstration project: UK Marine SACs. Download a pdf copy of the Full Final Report or of the Summary Final Report. See copy of paper (Jones & Burgess 2005) based on this project.

Recommendations concerning approaches for promoting relevant authority and stakeholder participation in marine SACs in the Azores: short study in collaboration with the LIFE funded MARÉ Project, Sept 2001. Download a pdf copy of the Final Report

Development of meaningful indicators of the success of estuarine management partnerships: questionnaire survey and workshop with estuary partnership project officers to assess the applicability and usefulness of a provisional set of indicators, resulting in a set of trial indicators. Jan - Feb 2000, funded by English Nature under the Estuaries Initiative. Download a pdf copy of the Full Final Report or the Summary Final Report

The role of Value Conflict Assessment Techniques (VALCOAST) in the formulation of implementable and effective coastal zone management policies. EC funded project that I initiated and coordinated whilst at Heriot-Watt University. June 1994 - July 1997; see VALCOAST page for further details.

Past PhDs

Offshore Marine Conservation in the North-East Atlantic: opportunities and challenges for the developing regime: this PhD study was undertaken by Elizabeth De Santo under the supervision of Dr Jones and Professor Philippe Sands (Centre for Law and the Environment, UCL); completed October 2008. Papers derived from this PhD research:-

De Santo, E.M. and Jones P.J.S. (2007) Offshore marine conservation policies in the North East Atlantic: emerging tensions and opportunities. Marine Policy 31(3), 336-347. Copy of paper

De Santo E.M. and Jones P.J.S. (2007) The Darwin Mounds – from undiscovered coral to the development of an offshore marine protected area regime. Bulletin of Marine Science 81(s1), 147-156. Copy of paper

An analysis of issues concerning the designation and management of the Lošinj archipelago MPA, Croatia: this PhD study was undertaken by Peter Mackelworth under the supervision of Dr Jones and Professor Jacquie Burgess. The researcher worked with NGOs, local interests and the Croatian government to develop this MPA proposal and establish a management scheme, with a particular focus on the conservation of the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) population. It involved an institutional analysis of various issues. March 2001 - May 2007 (part time); funded by and carried out in collaboration with the Adriatic Dolphin Project. PDF of PhD Thesis

This page was last updated by Peter Jones on 16 March 2009.