Ocean and Coastal Conservation: Marine Protected Areas, Fisheries Management, Blue Economy, Reef Restoration, BBNJ Treaty, Pollution Policy - Paperback

by Robert C. Brears (Author)

Ocean and Coastal Conservation delivers rigorous analysis of the science, governance, and finance required to protect marine ecosystems - from marine protected areas and fisheries management to blue economy finance and the landmark 2026 BBNJ Agreement.

- Understand why 8.4 percent of the ocean is nominally protected but only 3.2 percent is effectively managed, and what determines where protection works
- Analyze the ecological design principles behind marine protected area effectiveness - size, age, connectivity, and governance architecture
- Discover how USD 35 billion annually in fisheries subsidies sustains overexploitation, and the legal reforms underway through the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies
- Evaluate blue economy finance mechanisms - blue bonds, debt-for-nature swaps, and blended finance - as pathways to conservation-compatible development
- Examine the ecological consequences of ocean warming, acidification, and sea-level rise for coastal habitats and long-term conservation strategy
- Interpret the legal architecture of UNCLOS, the 2026 BBNJ Agreement, and regional fisheries management organizations for conservation policymakers
- Assess the multiple stressor dynamics projected to affect 90 percent of the global ocean by 2050, and why single-measure conservation consistently underperforms
- Explore the political economy of fisheries governance, from small-scale fishers providing protein to 3.2 billion people to industrial fleets and the politics of subsidy reform

Ocean and Coastal Conservation integrates ecological science, governance analysis, and conservation finance into a single analytical framework - giving policy professionals, scientists, and practitioners the tools to understand why conservation falls short and what integration requires. For everyone working to protect the ocean: this is the analysis you need to build the case and shape the policy.