Lindkvist, Emilie

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are a mainstay of marine conservation but are often inequitable and their focus on permanence is a poor fit for adaptive management. International agreements have committed to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030 (“30x30”), which includes MPAs but also so-called “OECMs” (Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures) that open the door to alternative forms of marine protection, including temporary closures, which build adaptation into their governance. This has led to an urgent need for research on how and when temporary closures are appropriate, effective and equitable. Temporary closures have the potential to be dynamic and adaptive to climate change, but have been critiqued for being too short and small to benefit fisheries. Here we present results from a systematic literature review of temporary fisheries closures around the world, providing an overview of their context, designs, and effects. Overall, published cases of temporary closures tend to be small (0.5-2 km2) and ranged from 2-8 years in length. Most occur in places with de facto exclusive fishing rights, involve local leaders and fishers in governance, and have high compliance. These areas overwhelmingly lead to increases in biodiversity, biomass, and size compared to control sites. We present a cluster analysis identifying two core 'types' of temporary closures. We discuss implications for temporary closures to contribute both to 30x30 as OECMs and as a keystone of adaptive ocean management, particularly in the global South.