A guide for planners and managers - IUCN

4.5 Social Criteria
Social and cultural benefits can be assessed in the following terms:
PART I
Selection of Marine Protected Areas
1. Social acceptance: the degree to which the support of local people is assured.
Every effort should be made to nurture local support. An area that is already
protected by local tradition or practice should be reinforced, and the area should
receive a higher rating. An “official” protected area designation may still be
necessary, even if local support is high, to ensure government recognition of the
area. For example, central government planners gave out part of a sacred forest
on Chale Island in Kenya to a hotel developer, despite its protection at the local
level for possibly hundreds of years.
2. Public health: the degree to which the creation of a marine protected area may
serve to diminish pollution or other disease agents that contribute to public
health problems. Granting protected status to contaminated areas, such as shellfish
beds or bathing beaches, may result in reduced pollution as the polluting source
is identified and controlled as part of the plan for site management.
3. Recreation: the degree to which the area is, or could be, used for recreation by
country residents. Sites that provide the local community the opportunity to use,
enjoy, and learn about their local natural environment should rate highly for this
criterion.
4. Culture: the religious, historic, artistic, or other cultural value of the site. Natural
areas that also contain important cultural features should be given high ratings
as they will benefit from a high level of local support, and their protection may
help to maintain the integrity of the adjacent ecosystems.
5. Aesthetics: a seascape, landscape, or other area of exceptional scenic beauty (Figure
I-43). Natural areas that also contain features of natural beauty should be given
higher ratings since the safe-
FIGURE I-43.
guarding of such features often
requires that the integrity be maintained
of adjacent coastal and
marine systems. However, where
species diversity and the biological
conservation values are low, such
areas retain a high value for recreation
and tourism
6. Conflicts of interest: the degree
to which area protection would
affect the activities of local residents.
If the area is to be used for
recreation purposes, for example,
The Seventy Rock Islands MPA of Palau is a place of
exceptional beauty.
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Photo by John Clark.