Bridging frameworks: A revised approach for evaluating the governance of marine protected areas

The introduction of the new 30% conservation target under the Convention on Biological Diversity, along with emerging governance mechanisms for biodiversity protection in areas beyond national jurisdiction, has intensified the need to evaluate how marine protected areas (MPAs) are governed. While many assessment frameworks exist, each emphasizes different aspects of governance. This diversity underscores the importance of harmonizing these frameworks to ensure consistent and comparable evaluations. Using a systematic literature review combined with structural topic modeling, our study aims to identify common criterion topics shared across existing assessment frameworks for MPA governance. We uncovered 15 recurring topics, with “stakeholder participation” being the most prevalent, highlighting an equity dimension of governance. Based on the correlations among the 15 topics, we organized them into five overarching categories: (1) management resources; (2) management measures or day-to-day management activities; (3) social-ecological system (SES) approaches; (4) equity practices; and (5) cross-cutting measures such as cooperation and coordination. Management resources form the foundation that enables effective management activities. Through these routine activities, SES approaches are integrated and equity practices are strengthened, ultimately contributing to social, ecological, and equity-oriented conservation outcomes. Cross-cutting measures, relevant across all categories, further reinforce the quality and coherence of governance. Together, these five categories capture the core elements of effective MPA governance. The 15 topics provide a set of standardized criteria that can be used to assess and compare MPAs under different governance structures and social-ecological conditions. Establishing such standardized criteria is essential for providing coherent evaluation schemes for MPA governance.