The Bertarelli Programme in Marine Science is supporting the BIOT Administration by providing relevant and timely science to inform and improve the management of the Marine Protected Area.
Researchers will help to establish the social, economic and legal factors which affect the scale and range of the Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing effort in the BIOT MPA.
The Programme’s research will contribute to the wider consideration of how compliance with conservation regulations can be improved whilst still providing for the livelihoods of regional populations.
Collaboration is an important focus of the Programme and scientists are providing local bodies with policy-relevant information to help them address the conservation issues of highest priority.
Finally, by collaborating with other large marine reserves globally to share science, technologies and best practice, we are helping to tackle common management and enforcement issues which undermine the effectiveness of MPAs around the world.