Gulf of Maine: Council on the Marine Environment

Gulf of Maine Projects

1997 Marine Protected Areas Project

Evaluating the Role of Site Selection Criteria for Marine Protected Areas in the Gulf of Maine

Executive Summary

Selection criteria play an important role in the process of identifying, valuing, and designating marine protected area (MPAs). This report examines the role of site selection criteria in establishing a network of marine protected areas in the Gulf of Maine. The importance of criteria in providing a rational basis for site selection is first examined. Criteria are identified as guidelines that add consistency to the decision-making process and enable the clarification and achievement of program goals. The application of criteria for ranking candidate sites in order of preference is also briefly discussed and exemplified by the U.S. National Marine Sanctuary Program.

A set of selection criteria specifically for the Gulf of Maine is proposed and defined. The use or nonuse of these criteria by six existing marine protected area (MPA) programs are compared and analyzed to understand commonalties and differences in the process of selecting sites in the Gulf of Maine. Evaluating the manner in which major MPA programs rely on selection criteria identifies overlap in management objectives and reveals opportunities for future coordination in establishing a network of sites. The use of Gulf of Maine selection criteria is further illustrated by matching them with several management objectives based on categories created by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). A comparative analysis demonstrates how the use of selection criteria for the Gulf of Maine depends on the type of management objectives for MPAs. A few criteria that are most relevant to establishing a network of sites are emphasized and described in detail. The report concludes with a series of guidelines for developing and using selection criteria in the Gulf of Maine and elsewhere.

The purpose of this study is not to replace existing criteria with an entirely new set, but to understand existing frameworks for site selection and provide direction for establishing a network of MPAs in the Gulf of Maine.