A roadmap for effective and sustainable marine protected areas: Beyond paper parks

The marine environment faces increasing anthropogenic threats, highlighting the urgent need for proactive conservation and management to prevent irreversible climate change effects and biodiversity loss. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a popular tool to tackle these threats. Amid increased pressures from international commitments and calls to protect larger areas of the oceans (30% by 2030), questions have emerged regarding the effectiveness of MPAs. There is growing concern that MPAs become 'paper parks' - protected in principal but lacking effective regulation and enforcement. This study examines the drivers for effective MPAs and provides a roadmap for successful MPA implementation. We reviewed 202 publications from 2010 to 2024 assessing MPA effectiveness and used topic modelling to identify topics that create successful MPAs. Four key topic areas were identified as essential for MPA success: 1) Evaluation of Integrated Ecological and Socioeconomic Data, 2) Indigenous Engagement, Relationship Mapping and Governance, 3) Effective Location, Connectivity and Cover, and 4) Regulatory Management, Costs, Enforcement and Policy Framework. We use these topic areas to create a step-by-step roadmap for creation and implementation of effective MPAs. The results of the study and the created roadmap have global application for conservationists, policy makers, scientists and other stakeholders engaged in marine biodiversity and habitat conservation.