Applications Open: Marine Protected Area Social Science Working Group – Apply by April 27, 2025
The California Ocean Protection Council (OPC), in partnership with the Ocean Science Trust (OST) and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), is convening a group of social science experts to help guide the next phase of Marine Protected Area (MPA) monitoring.
The California MPA Network was established in 2012 and comprises 124 MPAs statewide. It is the largest ecologically connected MPA network in the world. In 2023, CDFW, other state agencies, and academic partners undertook a comprehensive review of MPA ecological performance, synthesizing data from the first ten years of research and management. The 2023 Decadal Management Review (DMR) showed that the MPA Network is delivering ecological benefits while highlighting persistent gaps in understanding how people interact with MPAs and the broader social-ecological relationships that exist between people, communities, and ecosystems throughout California’s coast and ocean.
One of the 28 key recommendations from the DMR is to convene a working group of social scientists to fill some of these gaps. OPC is recruiting up to 15 individuals with experience in various social science disciplines, including tribal science and Traditional Knowledges, to advise the first Social Science Research and Monitoring component of the MPA Monitoring Action Plan for California. Through virtual and in-person meetings, the working group will develop recommendations to elevate social science research efforts and expand the monitoring of human-centered activities with the goal to directly inform an integrated social-ecological monitoring approach for California’s MPA Network.
Examples of expertise that may be relevant include:
- Traditional Knowledges, tribal science, and tribal cultural heritage
- Behavioral science
- Collaborative fisheries research
- Community and participatory science
- Environmental and climate vulnerability
- Environmental justice
- Natural resource management and governance
- Natural resources economics
- Social-ecological systems theory
Prior experience working in California MPAs is not required. OPC, OST, and CDFW are committed to welcoming new perspectives, including those from outside California, to the discussion.
The working group will meet six times (four virtual, two in person) in 2025 and early 2026. The first (virtual) meeting of the working group is tentatively scheduled for the end of May. All working group members will receive one-time honoraria for participation as well as reimbursement for travel to in-person meetings. Honorarium and reimbursement is managed by OST.
Applications are open until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, April 27, 2025. Candidates will be evaluated jointly by OPC, OST, and CDFW, with selected applicants notified mid-May.
*Application form is hosted by OST
Questions about the working group application process or the Social Science Research and Monitoring Plan more broadly can be directed to Conner Smith (conner.smith@resources.ca.gov) or Kevin Travis (kevin.travis@oceansciencetrust.org).