Public participation was one of the hallmarks of the California Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA)
Initiative, a planning process to support the redesign of California’s system of marine protected areas
(MPAs). The MLPA Initiative implemented innovative and unconventional public outreach and engagement
strategies to assist local communities share relevant knowledge and data, and provide timely and
targeted contributions to MPA planning discussions. This collaborative model helped broaden traditional
forms of participation to ensure public input received and integrated into MPA planning legitimately
reflected the interests and priorities of California’s coastal communities. A number of considerations
were critical to the success of this collaborative approach, including: understanding the needs and
limitations of public audiences; working directly with communities to identify appropriate outreach and
engagement strategies; prioritizing strategies that supported a multi-directional exchange of information;
adapting strategies based on public feedback and internal lessons learned; and hiring professional
public engagement specialists. Strategies evolved over time and increased the level and quality of public
participation over this multi-stage planning process. Experiences gained from the MLPA Initiative can be
used to encourage consideration of collaborative participation in other environmental planning and
decision-making processes.