The role of marine protected areas in sustaining fisheries: The case of the National Park of Banc d’Arguin, Mauritania

Mauritania is characterized by fast-growing fisheries that have developed over the past several decades from low levels of fishing to intense fishing and have led to severe decreases in biomass and severe signs of overexploitation. To ensure sustainable fisheries, a primary goal of science-based fisheries policy is to provide an adequate conservation status of marine habitats that are directly, or indirectly, fundamental for the lifecycle of fish populations of commercial interest. The National Park of Banc d’Arguin has been recognized for its nursery and fish biomass export functions. This paper present the economic value of the fish provisioning service of marine coastal ecosystems of the protected area.

The authors estimated the added value of artisanal fisheries, the spatial distribution of fishing activities, the contribution of the Park to the Mauritanian fisheries and the heritage value of artisanal fisheries.