Marine Protected Areas: Between Declared Protection and Reality
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are one of the European Union’s primary tools for conserving marine biodiversity and achieving the goals of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. However, the mere existence of an MPA on a map does not automatically guarantee effective ecosystem protection or fair benefits for the communities that depend on the sea.
In this context, the study “Regulations of activities and protection levels in marine protected areas of the European Union: A dataset compiled from multiple data sources” by Aminian-Biquet et al. (2024) represents a crucial contribution. The authors compiled a harmonized, EU-wide dataset documenting the regulation of human activities and the actual levels of protection within MPAs, drawing from multiple official and scientific sources.
What Is New About This Dataset?
Unlike databases that only provide information on the location or legal designation of MPAs, this dataset offers detailed insights into:
- which activities are allowed, restricted, or prohibited (e.g., fishing, aquaculture, shipping, anchoring, infrastructure, extractive activities);
- the intensity of protection, assessed using internationally recognized classification systems;
- differences across Member States and across types of MPAs.
By doing so, the study makes visible the gap between declared protection and effective protection—a central issue for both conservation outcomes and social justice.
Relevance for Marine Equity and Blue Justice
The concept of marine equity, or blue justice, addresses how the benefits and burdens of marine use and conservation are distributed among different actors: coastal communities, small-scale fishers, industrial sectors, policymakers, and future generations.
The dataset developed by Aminian-Biquet et al. is highly relevant from this perspective because it:
- reveals where MPAs continue to allow high-impact activities that may undermine local livelihoods;
- provides a basis for analyzing regional inequalities in the implementation of EU marine policies;
- supports assessments of whether conservation restrictions are distributed fairly, or whether certain groups disproportionately bear the costs;
- enhances transparency and accountability in marine governance.
Without robust and comparable data, discussions about equity risk remaining abstract. This dataset enables evidence-based analyses of how conservation policies function in practice—and for whom.
A Key Resource for Early-Career Researchers, Students, and Professors
For the academic community—especially early-career researchers and students—this open-access dataset represents a significant opportunity:
- it is freely available and suitable for undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral research;
- it enables cross-country and cross-regional comparative analyses;
- it can be combined with socio-economic data for interdisciplinary research;
- it is well suited for teaching in courses on environmental policy, marine governance, geography, ecology, and social sciences.
For professors, the dataset offers a practical teaching resource that connects theory with real-world policy implementation and regulatory diversity across the EU.
Alignment with the JUST4MPA Mission
The JUST4MPA project seeks to understand and promote more effective and more equitable Marine Protected Areas. The study by Aminian-Biquet et al. directly supports this mission by providing the foundational data needed to evaluate not only whether MPAs exist, but how they function and who benefits from them.
At a time when the EU is expanding its MPA network, this type of research is essential to ensure that marine protection does not reproduce or deepen inequalities, but instead contributes to sustainability, inclusion, and social justice.
Access to the Article and Dataset
The article and dataset are available in open access:
🔗 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2024.111177
We encourage students, researchers, and practitioners to explore and use this resource in analyses that place both nature and people at the center of marine conservation.
