No-take Marine Protected Areas (Nt-MPAs) are an important tool for biodiversity conservation. Nevertheless, evidence suggests that a large proportion of Nt-MPAs are not managed or enforced effectively. Further, governments and fishing communities are often resistant to the implementation and compliance of formal Nt-MPAs. Consequently, there is a need to increase the effectiveness of marine conservation by developing complementary approaches to biodiversity protection that promote fisher engagement and sustainable fishery practices.

Territorial User Rights for Fisheries, known as TURFs, are being promoted to enhance the sustainability of small-scale fisheries. Chile has one of the longest running TURF policies in the world. Many artisanal fishers are organized in formal cooperatives and are granted TURFs by the federal government: long-term tenure over a section of coast which they can harvest benthic invertebrates and other resources.

With initial support from the Walton Family Foundation and David and Lucile Packard Foundation, ACS and Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile began designing and piloting a new market model in Chile that provides measurable coastal biodiversity benefits while simultaneously providing socio-economic benefits to fishing cooperatives. With fishers, we co-designed a program that incentivizes artisanal fishing communities to set aside a portion of their TURF as a no-take zone and conduct anti-poaching surveillance. The outcome is a scalable program that provides a modest revenue stream to fishing organizations in exchange for management actions that produce verified biodiversity benefits and promote sustainable fisheries. The Chilean organization Capital Azul now runs the Marine Refuge Program and is expanding the reserve network throughout Chile.