Myth 18: Marine Conservation Agreements will not work in some countries, provinces or states.

Fact 18: Marine Conservation Agreements are extremely flexible tools that can accomplish a variety conservation goals while addressing numerous issues under a wide range of circumstances.

Marine Conservation Agreements (MCAs) are flexible and adaptable tools that can be applied under very diverse circumstances. Different MCA Models and Types can achieve a variety of Goals and include numerous Actions. As such, each individual MCA must be tailored to address project-specific goals, issues and circumstances. There are numerous options to consider, such as:

• If it is too expensive for government agencies to purchase the necessary rights and interests from private owners or users, then a long-term contract with private landowners may be appropriate instead of outright purchases.
• If there are large visible megafauna, or rare bird species, then using MCAs to establish a protected ecotourism area, which provides for rural conservation and economic development, may be appropriate.
• If the area has species which can be harvested sustainably without impacts to the ecosystem, then an MCA based on sustainable harvesting of flora or fauna may work.
• If the ecosystems are fully functional and interested businesses desire to offset their impacts, perhaps an MCA based on payments for ecosystem services such as nearshore protection and carbon sequestration would be viable.
• If the area has a history of social injustice and a widening gap between rich and poor, then a community-based MCA that empowers the rural poor and enhances social justice would be appropriate.
• If the area contains strong social networks among landowners and users, then establishing a collaborative MCA where contiguous landowners and users manage their entire holdings as a single MCA might be applicable.
• If large multi-national corporations are active in the area, then establishing a corporate MCA may be appropriate.

The list of options could go on, but the point is that MCAs can and must be tailored to project-specific circumstances to be successful. While MCAs will not work everywhere, they can be adapted to many if not most circumstances. MCAs successfully function in developing countries as well as industrialized countries, in places with strong governments as well as areas with weak ones, in regions with superb Marine Protected Area systems, and in regions with little or no public conservation effort.1

To determine if and how MCAs are appropriate to a particular set of circumstance, see Phase 1: Feasibility Analysis.