About: Global MPA Workforce Study — 2025
This document describes the background of this voluntary Global MPA Workforce Study—2025. Please consider the following information carefully and ask any questions you may have before deciding if you will participate.
Why this study?
As the CBD Global Biodiversity Framework Target 3 calls for protecting 30% of the world's oceans by 2030, Blue Nature Alliance, Marine Conservation Institute (Marine Protection Atlas, MPAtlas), eOceans, and Leibniz-IZW have partnered to establish a baseline of the Marine Protected Areas (MPA) workforce. Together, we aim to understand the composition of marine protected area workforce and estimate its global extent. This will be further used to understand what may be required as global protection grows.
Risks
There may be some risks to participating in this Study such as stress, emotional distress, and inconvenience. There is also a risk of loss of privacy and confidentiality.
There may be a risk of identifying MPAs with high or low workforce levels.
Privacy and Confidentiality
Researchers at the Marine Conservation Institute (MPAtlas), eOceans, Leibniz-IZW, and Blue Nature Alliance will analyze the Study data. The data you provide will not be associated with your name and will be grouped with the data others provide for reporting and presentation that may be publicly released. No information that will identify you will be made public or included in any reports or presentations without your written approval (see survey question Part C, #4), but anonymous quotes and non-identifying information from the Study may be published.
All data from the Study will be securely stored by Hetzner, in Germany — adhering to GDPR requirements—on a purpose-built, secure server accessed through password protected devices.
Only researchers working on the Study will have access to such information during data collection and analysis phases.
Marine Conservation Institute (MPAtlas) will be the primary data holders after the analysis is complete. Data shared on their website will be tied to specific MPAs, but will not include your identifiable information.
The Global MPA Workforce Study will use a survey tool, formr, that is not affiliated with the Study’s lead organizations, which has its own privacy and security policies that you can find at its website https://formr.org/.
Please note that email communication is neither private nor secure. Though we are taking precautions to protect your privacy, you should be aware that information sent through e-mail could be read by a third party.
Sharing and Future Use of De-Identified Data (Data that has your personal information removed)
De-identified data will be shared with participating organizations and relevant stakeholders, and may be published in a scientific journal.
De-identified data may be used for future research and publication without your additional consent.
Confidentiality and Risks:
Data will be reported at the MPA scale and may be grouped and presented at the regional, country, ocean, and global scale.
For small teams working on an MPA there may not be an expectation of anonymity.
Personal information will not be included in publications unless you specify otherwise (see survey question Part C #4).
De-identified data may also be made available on other platforms to allow for the replication of the results presented in a scientific publication.
Acknowledgment:
Participants may choose to be acknowledged by name in the final report as indicated in question Part C.#4 of the questionnaire.
About the Researchers
The study is being conducted by Marine Conservation Institute (MPAtlas), eOceans, Leibniz-IZW, and Blue Nature Alliance. They are dedicated to advancing marine science and management through innovative research, data analysis, and collaborative solutions. Together, Marine Conservation Institute (owner of MPAtlas), eOceans, Leibniz-IZW, and Blue Nature Alliance bring extensive experience and a commitment to excellence in research, ensuring that this study will be conducted with the highest standards of accuracy and integrity.
Support and Funders
This study is supported by the Blue Nature Alliance, a global partnership driving large-scale ocean conservation. They have defined the study’s scope, helped assemble a project team, and recommended advisors to shape the research design. Blue Nature Alliance has been actively involved throughout the study’s development and execution.
Contact Information
If you have any questions about the Study at any time, please contact Dr. Christine Ward-Paige at christine@eOceans.co or Marine Conservation Institute (MPAtlas) beth.pike@marine-conservation.org.