Engaging and legitimizing communities: co-designing a community-based Marine Protected Area

Marine Protected Areas are increasingly used as tools to preserve marine habitats and biodiversity worldwide. Nonetheless, creating MPAs in densely populated multi-use coastal areas comes with intrinsic conflict potential, since protection and economic development are not always hand-in-hand and local users might disagree with the designation of such conservation tools. The use of inclusive and transparent participatory processes to co-design such MPAs can be seen as a way of protecting biodiversity while acknowledging the needs of local users and building conservation tools that fit both purposes. Here we describe a participatory process developed to co-design a Marine Protected Area of Community Interest in a biodiversity, fishing and tourism hotspot in the Algarve (southern Portugal) where the majority of involved stakeholders (96 %) endorsed the final MPA proposal. The methodology and tools used are described in detail, lessons learned are critically analysed and a roadmap to be used in other realities is provided. Evidences collected show that the approach developed allows conservation and economic activities to share the same ground and advocate for the same goals in preserving coastal marine habitats. • We describe a participatory process to co-design a MPA of Community Interest in south Portugal. • The participatory process included different engagement activities across 7 phases over ∼3 years. • Methods and phases are described, lessons analysed, and a roadmap for other realities provided. • Our Approach allows achieving conservation goals while enhancing local communities' well-being.