Abstract
BackgroundTropical coastal marine ecosystems (TCMEs) are rich in biodiversity and provide many ecosystem services, including carbon storage, shoreline protection, and food. Coastal areas are home to increasing numbers of people and population growth is expected to continue, putting TCMEs under pressure from development as well as broader environmental changes associated with climate change, e.g. sea level rise and ocean acidification. Attention to TCMEs by conservation organizations has increased and although a variety of interventions to promote conservation and sustainable development of TCMEs have been implemented, evidence regarding the outcomes of these—for people or ecosystems—is scattered and unclear. This study takes a systematic mapping approach to identify articles that examine the ecological and social outcomes associated with conservation interventions in TCMEs; specifically in coral reef, mangrove, and seagrass habitats.MethodsWe developed a comprehensive framework of conservation interventions and outcomes, drawing on existing frameworks and related evidence synthesis projects, as well as interviews with marine conservation practitioners. We modified existing frameworks to: (i) include features of TCME that are not fully captured in existing frameworks; and (ii) further specify and/or regroup existing interventions or outcomes. We developed a search string informed by habitat, geography, interventions, and outcomes of interest, to search the peer-reviewed primary literature in four bibliographic databases and the grey literature on relevant institutional websites. All searches will be conducted in English. We will screen returned articles at the title and abstract level. Included articles will be screened at full text level and data coding will follow. Number of articles and reasons for excluding at full text level screening will be recorded. At each phase (title and abstract screening, full text screening, data coding), articles will be assessed independently by two members of the review team. Coded data will be reported in a narrative review and a database accessible through an open access, searchable data portal. We will summarize trends in the evidence base, identify interventions and outcomes where evidence can be further assessed in subsequent systematic reviews and where gaps in the literature exist, and discuss the implications of research gaps and gluts for TCME conservation policy, practice, and future research.
Highlights
Tropical coastal marine ecosystems (TCMEs) are rich in biodiversity and provide many ecosystem services, including carbon storage, shoreline protection, and food
Coastal areas are home to much of the world’s human population, with roughly half living within 100 km of the coast [1] and coastal population growth expected to continue [2]
Coastal marine ecosystems support a significant portion of the global economy, estimated at US$24 trillion [1], and provide critical ecosystem services including carbon storage, shoreline protection, and food [3, 4]
Summary
ROSES forms and reporting standards [41] were followed to ensure compliance with CEE systematic synthesis guidelines (Additional file 3: ROSES form for systematic map protocols). We developed individual search terms based on our population and conservation interventions and outcomes of interest. Intervention types are: land/water management; species management; awareness raising; enforcement and prosecution; livelihood, economic, and other incentives; conservation designation and planning; legal and policy frameworks; research and monitoring; education and training; and institutional/organizational development (Table 3; Full table with examples in Additional file 1: Intervention framework). Outcome We will include articles that describe impacts on one or more domains of ecosystem health (population/species abundance/diversity, community structure, ecosystem condition/habitat cover, ecosystem services), knowledge and behavior change, human well-being, and governance. Study design We will include articles that attempt to evaluate or document the impacts of a conservation intervention using a relevant comparator.
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