MPA Network

An MPA network is a set of marine protected areas planned and managed together so they deliver more conservation benefit collectively than as isolated sites, mainly through ecological connectivity. Network design accounts for larval dispersal and adult movement, spacing and sizing sites so populations in one MPA can reseed others and the wider fishery through spillover. The Convention on Biological Diversity’s Kunming-Montreal framework set a 30% area-protection target for 2030 (30x30), which member states pursue largely through representative, well-connected MPA networks rather than single reserves. Effective networks mix no-take zones with multiple-use areas and align with marine spatial planning. Connectivity, representativeness, and replication are the standard design criteria.