Marine Conservation Agreements
A Practitioner's Toolkit
www.mcatoolkit.org
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September 2010:

Email list: News and opportunities related to marine conservation agreements will be periodically distributed to an email list. Click if you would like to receive emailed updates.

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To submit an event for posting, please Contact Us.

Disclaimer

Opportunities list: Opportunities for NGOs, businesses, funders, and volunteers to engage in MCA projects are occasionally identified and listed here. If you are aware of an MCA project that is in need of assistance, please Contact Us.

See Also...

marineplanning.orgreefresilience.org

This Practitioner's Toolkit for Marine Conservation Agreements provides information for local, national, and international organizations regarding a promising strategy to protect ocean and coastal biodiversity from degradation and depletion.

Purpose of the Toolkit

The Practitioner's Toolkit for Marine Conservation Agreements (MCAs) was developed to help conservation organizations determine:

  • What MCAs are
  • When MCAs can help abate threats to ocean and coastal species, habitats, and ecosystems
  • How to plan and proceed with MCA projects

Marine Conservation Agreements Defined

Marine Conservation Agreements include any formal or informal understanding in which one or more parties commit to delivering explicit economic incentives in exchange for one or more other parties committing to take certain actions, refrain from certain actions, or transfer certain rights and responsibilities to achieve agreed-upon ocean or coastal conservation goals.

MCAs have also been called and are often associated with:

  • Conservation Incentive Agreements
  • Leasing and ownership in ocean and coastal waters
  • Proprietary rights of submerged lands
  • Marine market-based strategies
  • Marine payments for ecosystem services
  • Marine protected areas

The Overview elaborates more on MCAs.

How to Use the Toolkit

The primary navigation method for the toolkit is in the left column of each page. The major components of the toolkit are organized in a logical progression of ideas and phases:

  • Overview provides the basic information about MCAs to help you get started, then dispels myths and provides definitions of important terms.
  • Field Guide can be downloaded in its entirety or reviewed online section-by-section by practitioners wishing to evaluate and implement new MCA projects.
  • Field Projects can be reviewed for lessons learned and used as illustrative examples with potential funders and authorizing entities.
  • Country Analyses and U.S. State Analyses provide information on opportunities for MCAs and management frameworks in specific geographies.
  • U.S. State Maps is a comprehensive review of available spatial data and maps for U.S. ocean coast states—information that is necessary to determine ownership and use of ocean and coastal areas.
  • Resources provides supplemental information useful to practitioners developing project proposals, such as U.S. state agency contact information, funding sources, MCA-related publications, other online conservation tools, sample documents and agreements, and workshop information.

Finally, for assistance navigating the toolkit, users can see the Help link on the upper right of each page or Contact Us.

Quick Downloads

If you are short on time you can quickly download one or more of the toolkit’s marketing or informational documents:

  • MCA Toolkit Fact Sheet (pdf, 840k)
  • MCA Field Guide (pdf, 1,885)
  • Marine Conservation Agreements: An Introductory Presentation (streaming video)
  • MCA Feasibility Analysis Project Overview — English, Indonesia, Spanish (pdfs, ~270k)
  • MCA Workshop proceedings (pdf, 2,018k)
  • Leasing and Ownership of Ocean and Coastal Resources (pdf, 264k)
  • The Law & Policy of Conservation Leasing and Ownership (pdf, 673k)
  • Marketing postcard (pdf, 92k)

About Us

The Nature Conservancy and several of our partners recognize the need to expand the tools we use to protect marine biodiversity. In light of this, we developed the Practitioner's Toolkit for Marine Conservation Agreements. The toolkit was originally launched in January 2008 and is continually being improved upon with new information. Without the aid of our partners, the toolkit would not be what it is today. Read more >>

If you would like to contribute to the Toolkit, have comments or questions, or need further assistance, please Contact Us.

 

Submerged lands illustration: Justin Van Dyke. Header photos: Misool Eco Resort © Shawn Heinrichs, Blue Sphere Media. Local fisherman © Conservation International. Corals-Ecuador © Conservation International and NAZCA. Gulf of California and Port Susan Bay, Washington © The Nature Conservancy. Public boardwalk © Jay Udelhoven. Pelicans © Wendy Norden. Richardson Bay map © Audubon California.

Overview
Basics
Myths
Definitions
Field Guide
Phase 1: Feasibility Analysis
Phase 2: Engagement
Phase 3: Agreement Design
Phase 4: Implementation
Field Projects
Ecuador
Fiji
Indonesia 1
Indonesia 2
Kiribati
Mexico
Tanzania
United Kingdom
US: California 1
US: California 2
US: California 3
US: Connecticut
US: Massachusetts
US: New York
US: Rhode Island
US: Texas
US: Virginia
US: Washington 1
US: Washington 2
Country Analyses
Belize
Brazil
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Ecuador
Indonesia
Mexico
Peru
Philippines
Spain
United States
Other Countries
U.S. State Analyses
Alabama
Alaska
California
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Mississippi
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Texas
Virginia
Washington
Other States
U.S. State Maps
Alabama
Alaska
California
Connecticut
Delaware
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Hawaii
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Mississippi
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
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Washington
Resources
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Funding
Publications and Presentations
Related Tools
Sample Documents
Meetings Archive

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