2. The Benefits of MPAs in Reducing Inequality and Fostering Environmental Sustainability

2.1. How MPAs reduce inequality

Efforts to protect natural areas are always challenged by politicians who want to know how high the economic benefits of protecting one particular area are as opposed to, for instance, exploiting it for money that can then be distributed to the poor. The arguments in favour of establishing MPAs are and always should be long-term arguments since the fundamental idea behind their creation is to preserve and conserve the ecosystem for long-term benefits. Thus, the key challenge is to determine how to identify and measure the potential benefits of MPAs, and in the case of early MPAs, how to evaluate the policy. An early study highlighted some channels and evidence on how marine protected areas may mitigate inequality and reduce poverty. This study by Ban et al. (2019) explores various potential well-being outcomes of marine protected areas, including how they help reduce inequality.

Reviewing a well-documented literature, Ban et al. (2019) identify potential channels through which MPAs impact human well-being and categorize this impact as relating to several aspects, such as the social domain, health, economics, culture, and governance. Based on their literature review, they find that MPAs have more positive outcomes (51%) than negative outcomes (31%). The most important well-being outcomes found in the literature relate to community involvement (76%), catch per unit effort / CPUE (73%), and income (65%). In this section, we identify the potential channels through which MPAs may improve equality in various aspects