Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a key tool in the management of marine ecosystems around the globe, and with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s '30 by 30' target for 2022, the number and coverage of MPAs is expanding rapidly. However, the real challenge is to ensure that these protected areas are effective in achieving their conservation objectives. Therefore, it is particularly urgent to assess the comprehensive benefits of MPAs. This study describes the progress of research on the comprehensive benefits assessment of MPAs from three perspectives of “ecological-economic-social” benefits, and discusses the shortcomings of the current system, including (1) cross use of evaluation indicators and unclear referent concepts; (2) evaluation system is single and difficult to quantify indicators; (3) lack of dynamic benefit assessment and vague trends.
To overcome these limitations, this study proposes a comprehensive benefit assessment framework for MPAs. The core strength of this framework lies in its multidimensional assessment methodology, which can comprehensively capture the integrated benefits of MPAs. In terms of economic benefits, this study employs an economic approach to quantify the economic benefits of MPAs, including tourism revenue, fishery revenue, and so on. In terms of ecological benefits, this study provides a comprehensive estimation of ecological benefits based on biodiversity index and ecosystem service value assessment. In terms of social benefits, the focus is on social benefits and the impacts of MPAs on residents.
In order to verify the applicability and validity of the framework, we used the Xiamen Rare Marine Species National Nature Reserve in Fujian as a case study, which mainly protects rare marine organisms such as Chinese white dolphins and amphioxus, as well as birds such as yellow-billed egrets. The assessment framework of this study not only provides a scientific basis for the management of MPAs, but also provides decision support for policy makers and managers, and helps to promote the realization of the sustainable development goals of marine conservation.

Integrated benefits assessment,Fujian Xiamen National Nature Reserve for Rare Marine Species,Marine Protected Areas