Review of The Ocean Health Index Framework: Adaptation for Marine Protected Area Governance Freshty Yulia Arthatiani (a), Mutiara Rachmat Putri (a), Lamona Irmudyawati Bernawis (a)
(a) Faculty of Earth Sciences and Technology^s , Bandung Institute of Technology
Abstract
Integrated ocean health assessment is becoming increasingly important due to the growing pressures from human activities. The Ocean Health Index (OHI) is a framework used to assess ocean health holistically by considering the benefits to humans. OHI has been applied on global and regional scales to evaluate ocean health comprehensively. On the other hand, the expansion of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) has become a global commitment through the Global Biodiversity Framework Convention as an effort towards sustainable ocean utilization. This study uses a comprehensive review method to examine the use of OHI and its potential for MPA management. The main findings indicate that: 1) The OHI framework can be adapted and customized by adjusting goals and parameters tailored to the MPA context- 2) OHI provides a comprehensive assessment of ocean health that helps identify trade-offs in achieving MPA management goals- 3) The OHI framework used in the context of MPAs must involve public and stakeholder preferences- 4) The OHI framework can be used to identify data gaps and monitoring activities- 5) OHI can generate appropriate policy and management recommendations tailored to conservation targets- and 6) OHI can be used to evaluate the success of MPAs by measuring improvements in biophysical, socio-economic, and governance conditions. The results of the ocean health index measurement simulation using CMEMS data indicate that ocean health is quite good, although due to data availability, the measurement could only be conducted for one goal, namely clean waters. Therefore, it is essential to develop a comprehensive database for the measurement of the Ocean Health Index (OHI), encompassing all ten goals of the OHI framework. This database would serve as a robust evaluation tool for the effective management of Marine Protected Areas.
Keywords: Ocean Health Index- Marine Protected Area- Local- Framework- Policy
