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The selection of sites for conservation management is only one of many elements in the building of a network of marine protected areas (MPAs). It requires goal identification, site survey and data collection, data analysis, and data synthesis and plan formulation, all of which apply to site selection as well as all other steps in a marine protection area programme (Salm and Clark, 1984). While it is preferable to choose MPAs through a system planning exercise, in real life selection is often determined by crisis — some high level of threat to a site that is considered important for any reason.