Marine reserves in New Zealand: ecological responses to protection and network design

Abstract

Summary Marine reserves are simple management tools that exclude extractive and destructive human activities from areas of the ocean. Given that fishing is one of the greatest impacts in most coastal ecosystems, networks of marine reserves are recognised as a core part of implementing ecosystem-based management in marine systems. Research in New Zealand marine reserves has contributed disproportionately to the global understanding of how species and ecosystems respond to marine reserve protection. We use examples from New Zealand to demonstrate the unequivocal role that marine reserves play in protecting exploited species within their boundaries, and how the recovery of exploited species can have wider conservation and fisheries value through indirect mechanisms and the movement of individuals from reserves. Progress towards developing a comprehensive and representative network of marine reserves in New Zealand has been slow because of a lack of political will, marine protected area legislation, and clear scientific guidance on marine reserve network design. Based on progress in designing networks of marine reserves internationally, and their demonstrated role in protecting biodiversity, we recommend a set of scientific guidelines to aid future development of marine reserves networks in New Zealand, and recommend that such networks be at the core of future marine spatial planning processes. Introduction Marine reserves are areas of the ocean that are protected from all extractive and destructive human activities (Lubchenco et al . 2003). They are often referred to as ‘no-take’ marine reserves as fishing is the main activity that is typically eliminated from a particular stretch of coast when a marine reserve is established. Given that fishing is the most widespread and historic human impact in coastal environments worldwide (Jackson et al . 2001) marine reserves provide a simple management tool to protect defined areas of the ocean from the impacts of fishing. While management of many fisheries is improving (Worm et al . 2009), there have been widespread calls to increase the level of protection for marine species through the implementation of networks of marine reserves worldwide (Wood et al . 2008). Fishing has a myriad of impacts on species as well as ecosystems through habitat disturbance and changes to food webs (Dayton et al . 2003). While marine reserves are not a panacea, as humans have a wide variety of impacts on marine ecosystems, they can protect the species and ecosystems within their boundaries from the effects of fishing.