New research demonstrates that MPAs work

A special issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences features the latest research on the impacts of marine reserves. Surprise, it turns out that networks of marine reserves can boost conservation efforts and improve fishery profitability. Thanks to the awesome open-access policy of the NAS, you can read the articles here. One of the points stressed by the researchers is that networks designed based on science are absolutely key. Given that the process of designating these areas can get very politicized, I hope that as more marine reserves are created in the Southern Ocean, CCAMLR parties take heed of this research to ensure that they are creating reserves that make sense ecologically. Doing so requires solid scientific information and thus an investment in research, but will pay off in the long run.