Marine protected areas

This document underpins the NERC marine science community's response to the UK government consultation on the proposed marine protected area in the British Indian Ocean Territory; relates specifically to the 55 islands of the Chagos Archipelago and surrounding marine ecosystems.

Provides a synthesis of information on the underlying science, as well as design and implementation issues. It describes the need for marine reserves and their potential benefits, examines how reserves can be designed to achieve specific objectives, and considers gaps in our knowledge and the research needed to address those gaps. It includes 3 case studies from California, Belize and the Bahamas.