Evaluating South Australian Marine Parks: is climate change adaptation covered?

One of the key objectives for establishing Marine Parks in South Australia, as identified by the Marine Parks Act of 2007, is to assist in the adaptation to the impacts of climate change in the marine environments. The effectiveness of achieving this objective through the implementation of 19 Marine Park Management Plans will be evaluated in 2022, as required by the above act. To support this evaluation, the 5-year Status Report of Marine Parks South Australia provides comprehensive information on a number of important interventions, including monitoring activities conducted within the parks. The Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Plan (MER Plan) too provides guidance on conducting the statutory evaluation of Marine Parks Management Plans. This paper reviews the two documents mentioned above, in order to understand their ability to guide the evaluation process, with respect to implementing climate change adaptation. The review argues that it is necessary to use a more holistic framework that would allow the evaluation of not only drivers, pressures, state and impacts of climate change, but also responses for effective adaptation.

Keywords: Marine parks; Climate change adaptation; Evaluation; Marine park management plans; DPSIR framework

Abbrevations: KEQ: Key Evaluation Questions; DPSIR Framework: Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response Framework; MER Plan: Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Plan; SEQ: Specific Evaluation Questions