Management advice for integrative governance of the Marine Protected Areas in Madeira archipelago

This deliverable proposes an integrated management framework for the Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) of the Madeira archipelago, in response to the creation of the Site of Community Importance Cetáceos da Madeira (SCI-CM), which covers most coastal waters and requires stronger coordination with the remaining protected areas. The report reviews ten MPAs established under regional, national, and European legal frameworks, comparing their conservation values, objectives, management measures, surveillance systems, monitoring programs, and communication strategies. The analysis shows that most MPAs already share key conservation values with SCI-CM, especially cetaceans, monk seals, marine turtles, and seabirds, although these values are not consistently identified across all management plans. It also highlights the need to harmonize objectives and management tools to improve coherence, efficiency, and adaptive capacity across the network. A central contribution of the work is the distinction between surveillance and monitoring, and the proposal of an activity-based surveillance approach tailored to the different pressures affecting each MPA, including fishing, tourism, traffic, pollution, and research activities. The report argues for combining complementary methods such as wardens, video systems, drones, vessel tracking, acoustic networks, and citizen reporting to optimize coverage while controlling costs. In parallel, it reviews biological and human-activity monitoring already being implemented in Madeira, including cetacean surveys, passive acoustics, marine vertebrate watching, diving activity records, and environmental indicators. The document concludes that effective governance of Madeira’s MPA network requires coordinated surveillance, standardized monitoring, clear communication, and adaptive management grounded in legal and ecological realities. By articulating coastal and offshore protected areas within a shared framework, the report aims to strengthen biodiversity conservation while supporting sustainable human uses and long-term policy coherence.