Local community views on Marine Protected Areas on Greek islands

The new law provides inter alia for the abolishing of the Management Bodies previously established for the protected areas and the setting up of a new management body, the ‘Organization for Natural Environment and Climate Change’, under the auspices of the Hellenic Ministry of the Environment and Energy. [...] Andrade and Rhodes (2012) conducted a meta-analysis of 55 case studies to identify the main factors that influence the level of community compliance with regulations applied in protected areassuch as the existence of a buffer zone, the level of protection, the gross domestic product per capita, the population density and the level of local community participation in the management of the protected. [...] The questionnaire tapped into awareness of MPAs designated in the study area, asking respondents to: estimate the MPAs’ contribution to the local economy and community; assess the stance of the local community and interest groups towards the operation of the MPA; express their views on the impact of diving tourism to local development. [...] Therefore, the level of awareness, as well as the local communities’ positive or negative perceptions of the operation of the MPA, seem to be influenced by past consultations at the local level and by their experience regarding the governance of the MPA and the impact the operation of MPAs has had on other areas. [...] This analysis demonstrates that the level of the local communities’ knowledge about the MPA’s regulatory framework, past experiences, the location of the MPA and socioeconomic factors (i.e., the role played by the fishing and tourism sectors in the local economy) may serve as good predictors of how the local residents will behave in relation to the protected areas.