Evaluating change in the Australian marine protected area network: Has growth in area strengthened the capacity to protect biodiversity?

In an effort to halt the global decline of marine biodiversity, the establishment of marine protected areas (MPAs) has rapidly increased over the past decade, along with a need to understand their value for vulnerable species and habitats. The aim of this thesis was to evaluate the design of the Australian MPA system in terms of its capacity to protect Australia’s unique biodiversity by establishing the changes in protection over time, assessing the representation of different marine environments, quantifying the level of connectivity among MPAs, and evaluating how well the level of protection for MPAs matches public perceptions of marine protection.