Evaluating effectiveness of contrasting contextual governance designs for functional management of marine protected areas

Despite rapid global expansion of marine protected areas (MPAs), enforcement failure remains widespread, raising concerns about the implementation gap underlying SDG14 and the 30x30 biodiversity target. This article examines why formally designated MPAs frequently fail to deliver effective protection in practice and proposes a governance model to address this deficit. Using a mixed methods comparative case study across Sierra Leone and the Yellow Sea ecoregion, the study integrated IMET2.2 management effectiveness assessments with stakeholder survey data (n=162). Results reveal a distinct management signature, with West African sites averaging 49.47% effectiveness and exhibiting pronounced constraints at the Inputs and Process stages. Pearson correlation analysis at the indicator level shows a near linear relationship between Inputs and Outputs (r=0.842, where n equals the number of paired IMET Input–Output indicators pooled across the four sites; p<0.01), while independent samples t tests identify a severe enforcement perception gap between managers and local stakeholders (p<0.001). These findings confirm that enforcement failure is driven not by weak policy intent, but by the absence of sustainable operational capacity. Drawing on comparative insights from the Yellow Sea, the article advances the Integrated Coastal Governance Model (ICGM), built on two reinforcing pillars: ecosystem monetization and transboundary enforcement cooperation. The ICGM provides a practical framework for translating conservation commitments into sustained enforcement and offers a scalable pathway for moving MPAs beyond symbolic compliance toward durable coastal protection.