Exploring the diverse values local people associate with marine protected areas and the implications for sustainable ocean management

Marine protected area (MPA) management requires local people's participation in order to deliver lasting ecological and social benefits. This is crucial to avoid “paper parks” and to encourage self-regulation and enhance social well-being among stakeholders. However, promoting sustained participation by diverse stakeholders is a challenge due to the diversity of ways in which they perceive the benefits of MPAs, and some of these perceptions are associated with specific occupations and value preferences. A place-based case study was conducted on the Yonarasuido Strait in the Yaeyama region, Japan, which is covered by two MPAs: a government-led top-down national park and a fishermen-led bottom-up spawning ground reserve. This study investigated local people's value preferences from instrumental, intrinsic, and relational perspectives using the Q-methodology and semi-structured interviews. To understand broader interactions among different groups, the study focused on both marine tourism and fisheries. The Q-method analysis identified three groupings based on the values people emphasize for the MPAs. As a result of the analysis, these groups were defined as (1) “Original Goals First,” characterized by the emphasis on initial objectives and fisheries resource management; (2) “Disconnected Stewards,” who expect nature conservation while being emotionally detached from the MPAs; and (3) “Tourism vs. Fisheries,” reflecting polar divisions between fisheries and marine tourism. The results suggest that understanding the value preferences of a diverse range of stakeholders through a comprehensive lens can provide a more holistic picture of MPA management and the areas of consensus and disagreement in the governance system. Based on the findings, recommendations for future MPA management are proposed regarding adaptive management, information dissemination, and collaboration between different stakeholder groups. • Local stakeholders have diverse value preferences for marine protected areas (MPAs). • People with the same occupation did not always emphasize similar values of MPAs. • Setting explicit goals might have advantages and disadvantages for MPA management. • Different types of MPAs can be utilized complementarily for adaptive governance. • Understanding “who wants what and why?” can provide foundations for collaboration.