4.6 Public Uses

1. MCA Field Guide: English | Spanish
2. MCA Field Guide Checklist
3. Phase 4: Implementation Checklist
4. 4.1 Administration accounted for
5. 4.2 Planning initiated
6. 4.3 Outreach planned and begun
7. 4.4 Science program established
8. 4.5 Enforcement needs assessed and met
9. 4.6 Public uses promoted and managed
10. 4.7 Livelihoods identified
11. 4.8 Habitat management needs realized
12. 4.9 Maintenance identified and scheduled
13. 4.10 Funding needs assessed and acquired for the long-term

Public uses can play an important role in Marine Conservation Agreement (MCA) projects, potentially positive and negative, and thus must be carefully managed. Certain public uses may have to be accommodated within MCA sites due to requirements in statutory or common laws, such as the public trust doctrine in the United States. In other situations, it may not be required but may be desirable to provide public uses on sites to gain public support and funding or to respond to public demand. Allowing public access to sites can also help implement management activities such as monitoring and cleanup.

Options and requirements regarding public uses should be clarified as early as possible during the feasibility analysis and agreement design phases. Organizations should take into consideration that they may not be able to legally or practically exclude public uses from sites because of legal requirements, enforceability, or social and cultural norms. Conservation organizations must determine whether allowing and managing public uses on MCA sites are compatible with their conservation goals.

Depending on the legal circumstances and desires of conservation organizations, public uses may be passively accommodated or actively encouraged on sites. Public uses will likely be more prevalent on sites that are closer to shore and closer to population centers. Public uses on sites usually means there will be more maintenance and costs associated with sites when compared to sites that do not have public uses. When public uses occur on sites, monitoring and enforcement should be used to ensure associated impacts are documented and minimized.

Types of Public Uses

Public uses can be recreational, commercial, subsistence/artisanal and transient in nature. It is relatively common for MCAs to be undertaken in conjunction with public recreational activities.

Typical recreational uses occurring in ocean and coastal areas include, but are not limited to:

• Aesthetic, cultural, and spiritual appreciation
• Beach walking
• Bird watching
• Boating and navigation
• Photography
• Resource extraction (i.e., fishing, shellfishing, hunting, shell/rock collection, seaweed harvesting)
• SCUBA diving
• Sunbathing
• Swimming

Facilities, infrastructure, and activities that may be required to accommodate recreational uses include, but are not limited to:

• Boardwalks
• Boat rentals and tours
• Interpretive programs
• Mooring buoys
• Picnic areas
• Piers
• Shelters
• Underwater interpretive trails

Next Sub-step

Using MCAs as a means of promoting and managing public uses is often compatible with livelihood activities.

Proceed to 4.7 Livelihoods

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