Marine Protected Areas are key to sustaining long-term fish populations

Research by Professor Joshua Cinner, looking at data from more than 2600 coral reefs across the globe, shows that marine conservation efforts have had a modest effect on fish stocks but more needs to be done to meet international commitments.

Looking at fish survey data across nearly 2,600 tropical reef locations, the team developed a model that showed approximately 10 percent of fish biomass (the number and size of fish in an area) can be attributed to existing protections.

At the UN Biodiversity Conference in 2022, 196 countries adopted the Global Biodiversity Framework and committed to protecting 30 percent of the world’s terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine areas by 2030 – an initiative commonly referred to as 30x30. The authors hope their study will help maximise the benefits from this initiative.