Shifting seas, shifting boundaries: Dynamic marine protected area designs for a changing climate

Abstract

This study uses a spatially explicit ecosystem model to compare static and dynamic marine protected area (MPA) designs under climate change scenarios. Simulating temperature-driven shifts in species distributions over a century in a hypothetical ecosystem, the analysis suggests that dynamic MPAs—especially shifting square designs—can better maintain biomass, catch, and revenue for certain species than static or network configurations. The findings inform adaptive MPA design to enhance resilience to climate-driven ecological and socioeconomic changes.,