On July 1, 2025, the Marine Protected Area Statewide Leadership Team (MSLT) released a new Work Plan outlining key actions to enhance the effective, adaptive management of California’s globally recognized marine protected area (MPA) network. Recently honored on the IUCN Green List—the first nature network in the world to receive this distinction—California’s MPAs are an international model for ocean protection and durable stewardship. Established in 2014, the MSLT brings together federal and state agencies, tribal representatives, and external partners to collectively advance the four pillars of MPA management: Outreach and Education, Policy and Permitting, Enforcement and Compliance, and Research and Monitoring. This collaborative leadership is central to maximizing the ecological, cultural, and community benefits of the MPA network and ensuring its long-term success for generations to come. 

This updated Work Plan is based on the 2022 MPA Decadal Management Review Recommendations (DMR) and builds from the ongoing activities of the previous MSLT Work Plan (FY21/22 – FY24/25). As a key tool in directing adaptive management of the MPA Network, this MSLT Work Plan provides a road map for the state and its partners to achieve these specific key actions over a five-year period, from 2025 -2030.  

In response to the DMR, this Work Plan focuses on a new set of actions to make California’s MPA program more accessible, inclusive, and effective. These efforts include targeted outreach and education efforts to new and diverse communities, strengthening partnerships with California Native American tribes, and improving how MPA enforcement information is collected, analyzed, and shared. The Work Plan also focuses on better addressing external factors—like climate change—that can impact MPAs, by integrating them into research and monitoring strategies. The members of the MSLT are dedicated to building transparency, trust, and accountability—and to making sure the key actions in the new Work Plan support adaptive management, respond to emerging challenges, and help protect California’s MPAs for future generations. 

If you have questions about this new Work Plan or the MSLT, please contact Staci Lewis, staci.lewis@resources.ca.gov.