This exploratory project investigates the application of natural capital approaches in supporting Marine Protected Area (MPA) management. A review of literature was undertaken to identify the benefits and challenges of applying these approaches, provide an overview of where they have been applied, and identify the methods used to integrate natural capital thinking into MPA management and the decision-making process.
The review has shown a growing literature base valuing the links between natural capital, ecosystem services and societal benefits. Various methods have been applied to engage stakeholders and gather evidence on ecological, economic and socio-cultural values associated with MPAs. Increasingly, stakeholder engagement throughout the entire MPA process (i.e. designation, implementation and monitoring) is seen as essential for building support, capacity and engagement. Valuation studies were found to largely focus on economic valuation of cultural and provisioning services, with less focus on regulating services and their associated benefits. Additionally, there is growing evidence of participatory approaches across diverse social contexts that can foster more direct involvement from local communities.
While the literature supports the application of natural capital approaches and identifies several global studies which provide evidence on management approaches, this review found limited evidence of their practical application in supporting the MPA process. Although emerging cases of natural capital practices exist, they remain formative, isolated and requiring mainstreaming into policy practice. However, additional evidence on the practical use of natural capital approaches may be uncovered through more targeted searches of grey literature or interviews with MPA managers.