Economic Insights for Sustainable MPAs in Uruguay

Introduction/Background

Uruguay’s maritime territory hosts rich ecosystems with high biodiversity, including vital habitats for sharks, rays, dolphins, whales, seabirds, marine turtles, and endangered species like albatrosses, southern right whales, and franciscana dolphins. Deep-sea coral reefs and large colonies of fur seals and sea lions further highlight its ecological importance. However, this region also faces significant threats from overfishing, illegal fishing, pollution, marine traffic, and ocean warming, which impact both industrial and artisanal fisheries. Emerging activities such as offshore wind energy and hydrocarbon exploration add additional pressures. Therefore, these challenges emphasize the urgent need for effective management and conservation measures. Protecting Uruguay’s waters would also yield significant global benefits, as over two-thirds of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) rank among the world’s top 10% priority areas for marine biodiversity conservation—the highest proportion in the Americas (Sala et al., 2021). In response, Uruguay’s Ministry of Environment has set an ambitious goal to expand Marine Protected Area (MPA) coverage to 30% by 2030.

Project description

Faced with growing pressures on marine ecosystems, Uruguay has prioritized the expansion of MPAs as a key conservation strategy. This research focuses on the “Isla de Lobos” MPA, a site of exceptional ecological, social, and cultural significance. Its overarching objective is to evaluate the establishment of this MPA by analysing its social-ecological dynamics, welfare implications, and sustainable and equitable financing mechanisms.

Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, the study uses the social-ecological systems (SES) framework to explore the interconnections between ecological, social, and governance components. Through network analysis, it intends to investigate how these relationships shape the site’s functioning, providing insights into synergies, trade-offs, and potential conflicts.

By focusing on key ecosystem services such as mussel harvesting and tourism, the research also seeks to assess their value while exploring spatial trade-offs and distributional impacts under various management scenarios. For instance, it aims to evaluate how policy decisions might differently affect tourism operators and artisanal fishers, while examining the conditions under which stakeholders perceive these impacts as acceptable. This approach seeks to shed light on the “painful choices” that often arise in marine conservation efforts.

A critical aspect of the study also involves exploring sustainable and equitable financing mechanisms to support the MPA’s long-term goals. One promising avenue the research intends to investigate is the beneficiary-pays approach, where performance-based payments for ecosystem services (PES) could incentivize pro-conservation behaviors while promoting a fair distribution of costs and benefits. For example, managing Rapana venosa, an invasive species threatening mussel populations, presents an opportunity to align conservation outcomes with economic incentives that could benefit local communities.

Overall, this research aims to address challenges related to balancing ecological preservation, social equity, and financial sustainability, offering guidance to policymakers in Uruguay for designing effective conservation strategies aligned with national priorities. Furthermore, its interdisciplinary approach and focus on actionable solutions seek to contribute to the broader marine conservation literature, providing valuable insights for similar initiatives worldwide, particularly in the context of global 30x30 conservation efforts.