It is a well-known fact that marine protected areas have a large effect on helping conservation efforts by protecting the biodiversity and ecological equilibrium of ocean ecosystems. However, there have been very few studies that research the direct link between marine protected areas and climate change mitigation.
In a study by Jacquemont et al, 2022, many different climate pathways were looked into to see how MPAs impact climate change mitigation.
A summary of the climate pathways that MPAs have been proven to have an effect on (Jacquemont et al 2022).
One of these pathways involves carbon sequestration, a process that is extremely vital in combating our rapid increase in atmospheric carbon levels. Due to an increase in biomass in MPAs, there were recorded instances of higher carbon sequestration capacity thanks to the increased biodiversity in MPAs.
They also contribute to ecological adaptation by increasing biodiversity and coastal protection. Preservation of mangroves and tidal marshes enhances coastal protection as well as coral reefs and seagrass.
Mangroves that act as natural coastal protection along the River Gambia (GREAT Institute 2022).
MPAs also have positive outcomes regarding food security as they have observed increases in population that often spill over into fishing grounds that benefit the locals. They also aid in increasing environmental awareness, participation as well as alternative livelihoods for the local communities near the MPAs.
However, all these positive outcomes were only reached in marine protected areas of full and high levels of protection rather than low-level protection that usually generated no benefits as well as protected areas that were more established and had been protected for longer. This means that marine protected areas are a great long-term solution for combating climate change, but there need to be stricter laws and regulations for a better outcome.
Here is the full article that was published, if you’d like to read more about this: https://www.cell.com/one-earth/fulltext/S2590-3322(22)00480-8?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS2590332222004808%3Fshowall%3Dtrue