Marine Conservation Agreements include any formal or informal understanding in which one or more parties commit to delivering explicit economic incentives in exchange for one or more other parties committing to take certain actions, refrain from certain actions, or transfer certain rights and responsibilities to achieve agreed-upon ocean or coastal conservation goals. MCAs can be entered into by governments, communities, private entities, and private individuals. They are based on agreed upon terms and conditions, are often bottom-up approaches, and include quid-pro-quo incentives wherein all parties receive benefits.

The Practitioner's Toolkit for Marine Conservation Agreements (MCAs) was developed to help conservation organizations determine:

• What MCAs are
• When MCAs can help abate threats to ocean and coastal species, habitats, and ecosystems
• How to plan and proceed with MCA projects