Communicating the complexity of Marine Protected Areas in creative writing: A personal perspective

With increasing acknowledgement of the urgency of ocean protection and necessarily ambitious national and international Marine Protected Area (MPA) targets, there is a need to effectively communicate the ecological and social complexities of MPAs. MPA design and management must acknowledge and incorporate ecological, social, cultural and heritage considerations. Developing a common purpose, reducing opposition and managing conflict can be complex and solutions are unique to each situation. Whilst case studies published in journals are valuable to practitioners, they inevitably simplify the narrative and cannot always give the depth of insight that could help in future work. Personal accounts in memoir and other forms of creative writing can provide a more expansive space for individuals to tell their stories and give voice to those with practical experience of marine conservation and of life in coastal communities. Telling MPA stories can help promote wider ocean literacy and engage the public in the value of marine ecosystems and coastal communities and the role of MPAs. Capturing the stories of MPAs can also amplify the voices and perspectives of Indigenous people and non-academic experts and provide insight and inspiration for young people from coastal communities to bring their valuable experience to a career in marine conservation. • More narratives about the human and ecological intricacies of MPAs are needed. • Creative writing can help communicate the complexity of Marine Protected Areas and other marine conservation initiatives. • Creative non-fiction gives the space to share a more nuanced and holistic narrative than is possible in academic literature. • Ecological memoir highlighting the challenges and opportunities inherent in the MPA process canengage wider audiences. • Creative writing can be more accessible to coastal communities public than more technical sources of information about MPAs.