A ten-year long collaborative process, which established a network of marine protected areas (MPAs) in California state waters, as required by the 1999 California Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA).  Implemented sequentially through four regional processes, the MLPA Initiative ultimately designated 16% of state waters as protected areas.

Funded by more than $35 million in public and philanthropic dollars, the effort involved an extensive staff team supplemented by contracted professional facilitators to design the process and run thousands of hours of meetings.  Due to California open meetings laws and the desire to ensure transparency of the process, most meetings were recorded by AGP Video, Inc. and archived on the CAL-SPAN Internet distribution network.  The recordings provide an unparalleled record of a complex, science-intensive and conflict-laden process, and the ways that the managers of the process worked to ensure its effectiveness and productivity.

In each study region, an appointed regional stakeholder group (RSG) developed MPA proposals that were reviewed and evaluated by a science advisory team (SAT), the California Department of Fish and Game, MLPA Initiative staff, and a policy-level blue ribbon task force (BRTF). Based on these evaluations and public input, MPA proposals were then refined by the RSG and presented to the BRTF, who made a recommendation to the California Fish and Game Commission, who had the sole authority to adopt and implement MPAs.

The general public was involved in a variety of ways, including: direct communication with RSG members, attendance at workshops and public meetings, and by providing input on public documents and MPA proposals as they were developed.