Design Of Marine Protected Areas Research Articles

Potential Uses of Genetic Studies for MPA Design

In recent years, coral reef degradation has been increasing. Management and conservation efforts have tended to focus only on the physical condition of the coral reefs with less attention to biological and oceanographic aspects, in particular genetics and hydrodynamics. Genetic data can illustrate the connectivity between and within populations of an organism, making it is possible to determine source and sink populations or sites. Studies of physical water movements can also illustrate the likely patterns of movement or predict the mobility of coral planulae. Both of these approaches can help to strengthen Marine Protected Area (MPA) design, especially at the formation stage, in particular MPAs focused on coral reef ecosystems. Together, these two approaches can provide data on biological networks in a region and help delineate stocks. The implications of such studies can help to identify conservation priorities and improve the effectiveness of management processes in Indonesia, and can certainly enable the refinement of general approaches to help produce management plans tailored to local and regional conditions and processes. This brief review aims to review the constraints that occur in the management process, including barriers to and potential benefits of integrating molecular and hydrodynamic data into the management and conservation process, as illustrated through a critical review of MPA implementation in the waters around Sulawesi Island.

Suitability of the establishment of the protected natural area of the tropical pacific sea

In this essay we will analyze the suitability of the establishment of the Marine Protected Area (MPA) of the Tropical Pacific Sea, which would be located off the coast of Piura and Tumbes. Based on an analysis of the literature regarding the design and implementation of MPAs, we will point out some aspects that should be taken into account by administrators and decision makers in all the stages related to the process of assigning the MPA figure to a specific geographical area. Also, we will review the official documentation developed in the proposal process by various state agencies. The objective of this essay is to provide insights into the correct preparation of a proposal that changes the legal system on which the geographical area chosen to be protected rests.

Quantitative decision support tools facilitate social-ecological alignment in community-based marine protected area design

Krueck, N. C., A. Y. Abdurrahim, D. S. Adhuri, P. J. Mumby, and H. Ross. 2019. Quantitative decision support tools facilitate social-ecological alignment in community-based marine protected area design. Ecology and Society 24(4):6. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-11209-240406

Diel variation in home range size and precise returning ability after spawning migration of coral reef grouper Epinephelus ongus: implications for effective marine protected area design

Diel variation in home range size and precise returning ability after spawning migration of coral reef grouper Epinephelus ongus: implications for effective marine protected area design

Genomic tools for management and conservation of Atlantic cod in a coastal marine protected area

Marine protected areas (MPAs) can serve as effective tools for the management and conservation of exploited marine species. The Gilbert Bay MPA in coastal Labrador was created to protect a genetically distinct population of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua); however, decreases in abundance continue to occur potentially due to exploitation outside the MPA. We developed a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) panel to identify Gilbert Bay cod in areas outside MPA boundaries where mixing with offshore cod occurs. In total, 361 individuals from Gilbert Bay, surrounding areas, and offshore were genotyped for 10 913 SNPs. Using FSTrankings and guided regularized random forest, we selected 23 SNPs that together generate 100% accuracy in individual assignment and accurately estimate the proportion of Gilbert Bay cod in fishery samples from sites outside MPA boundaries: on average, fishery samples included 17.3% Gilbert Bay cod. Estimates of effective population size for the Gilbert Bay population ranged from 655 to 1114. Our findings demonstrate the power of using genomic approaches for management of an exploited marine species and enhancing the design of MPAs.

Marine protected areas: Science, policy & management

Marine protected areas (MPAs) generate powerful interactions between social, economic and environmental interests, manifest at a circumscribed and often local scale. Consequently the designation and management of an individual MPA typically plays out in microcosm the general challenge of sustainable development in the marine environment. Some universally relevant questions relating to four commonly held defining attributes of MPAs are articulated. However, while many of the questions are universal, in practice the answers vary greatly. Consequently there are few MPAs which would not provide an informative case study elucidating the dynamics at the intersection between science, policy and management in the marine realm. The papers in this collection exemplify a range of key issues across this spectrum of disciplines. In practice most contentious issues relate to the balance within MPAs between environmental and socio-economic considerations, not least relating to fishing. In this respect greater attention in MPA management plans, to the economic benefits of MPAs for local communities is encouraged. However we also recognise that glib assertions that a secure sustainable balance between conservation and exploitation can be established in practice, typically with few resources in a largely unseen and often data-poor environment, may sometimes be politically expedient but scientifically questionable. Yet it is ultimately the work of all those involved directly with MPAs to collectively achieve the task of transforming the rhetoric of marine conservation policy into a successful reality on the ground and we commend the authors of this collection for their efforts to achieve that goal.

Promoting ancillary conservation through marine spatial planning

The term Other Effective Conservation Measures (OECMs) refers to areas which are not protected areas and yet significantly contribute to conservation; they were recently defined by the Convention on Biological Diversity. Efforts to address the designation of OECMs include further definition of the term and the development of typologies of OECMs and of screening tools which can be applied to identify potential OECMs. While the designation process of OECMs is still unclear, especially in the marine environment, we suggest a decision process which can be used by planners to identify and designate specific types of OECMs as part of the marine spatial planning (MSP) process. These OECMs are areas where marine communities benefit from access restrictions established due to safety or security concerns. We applied the suggested process on two case studies of the Italian Northern Adriatic and the Israeli Mediterranean seas. When consideration of OECMs comes at the expense of designating marine protected areas, OECMs can become controversial. However, OECM designation can promote achievement of marine conservation goals and of ecosystem-based management of uses. Therefore, we suggest that while spatial targets for conservation should focus mainly on areas dedicated for marine reserves, OECMs, especially of the type for ancillary conservation discussed in this paper, can be achieved through MSP. Using MSP for the designation of recognized OECMs may significantly promote marine conservation goals in unexpected ways and may ¬help realize ecosystem-based management.

Oceanographic and Bathymetric Features as the Target for Pelagic MPA Design: A Case Study on the Cape of Gata

The Cape of Gata region (southeast Spain) allocates the thermo-haline Almeria–Oran front (AOF), which separates two biogeographical zones, with a very irregular bathymetry, consisting of two canyons and seamounts in an area of 100 × 100 km. An interdisciplinary oceanographic sampling strategy allowed us to solve mesoscale processes including current–bathymetry interactions. Subsurface fertilizing processes and elevated chlorophyll a concentrations were found at the front, seamount, and submarine canyons, turning an apparently oligotrophic area into a rich one. According to a horizontal tracking simulation, the deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM) at the front is located above the pycnocline and travels fast offshore, transporting productivity from the fertilization process quickly from the region. The DCM at the seamount, in contrast, develops below the pycnocline and remains for almost three weeks in this area. In spite of the coastal marine protected areas (MPAs), a high surface nitrate concentration plume with its origin in a small coastal area without any protection was detected. Local circulation patterns and bathymetry–current interactions provide elevated productivity in surface water which is vertically connected to deep-sea fauna via the daily vertical migration of zooplankton, suggesting elevated biodiversity on the seamount and canyons of the area studied. Based on these results, and considering the presence of coastal MPAs and a Coastal Area Management Program, future studies on benthic fauna, an enlargement of coastal MPAs, and a transboundary land–deep-sea management program are suggested.

Marine protected areas show low overlap with projected distributions of seabird populations in Britain and Ireland

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are an important tool for the conservation of seabirds. However, mapping seabird distributions using at-sea surveys or tracking data to inform the designation of MPAs is costly and time-consuming, particularly for far-ranging pelagic species. Here we explore the potential for using predictive distribution models to examine the effectiveness of current MPAs for the conservation of seabirds, using Britain and Ireland as a case study. A distance-weighted foraging radius approach was used to project distributions at sea for an entire seabird community during the breeding season, identifying hotspots of highest density and species richness. The percentage overlap between distributions at sea and MPAs was calculated at the level of individual species, family group, foraging range group (coastal or pelagic foragers), and conservation status. On average, 32.5% of coastal populations and 13.2% of pelagic populations overlapped with MPAs indicating that pelagic species, many of which are threatened, are likely to have significantly less coverage from protected areas. We suggest that a foraging radius approach provides a pragmatic and rapid method of assessing overlap with MPA networks for central place foragers. It can also act as an initial tool to identify important areas for potential designation. This would be particularly useful for regions throughout the world with limited data on seabird distributions at sea and limited resources to collect this data. Future assessment for marine conservation management should account for the disparity between coastal and pelagic foraging species to ensure that wider-ranging seabirds are afforded adequate levels of protection.

Policy pivot in Puget Sound: Lessons learned from marine protected areas and tribally-led estuarine restoration

Environmental change amplifies the challenge of protecting and restoring Puget Sound. As rising pressures from population growth, development, unsustainable resource use, climate impacts and other factors alter this urbanizing basin, efforts to recover salmon and ecosystem health and to enhance climate resilience face unprecedented social complexities and intensifying competition for space. A multi-method study of citizen and practitioner perspectives on protection and restoration suggests that capacity to manage under these conditions can be improved through strengthening an approach that has already become central in restoration practice: multiple-benefit planning. In this research, we examine and compare planning approaches used to develop marine protected areas (MPA) and estuary restoration (ER) projects in Puget Sound. Surveying non-tribal public attitudes toward these projects, we found limited knowledge concerning existing MPAs but support for wider use of such protections. We find that initiatives pursuing conservation, protection, restoration and resilience can gain advantage from (a) broadly inclusive and collaborative planning; (b) recognition of tribal treaty rights, management authorities, and leadership; (c) careful consideration and mitigation of project impacts on affected people (e.g. especially tribal and non-tribal fisheries for MPAs; farm interests and landowners for restoration projects). We note that “no-take” MPA designation has stalled, while ER efforts are overcoming sharp objections and controversies by crafting projects to deliver multiple social-ecological benefits: improved flood control and drainage, salmon recovery, recreational enjoyment, and resilience to climate change. Comparable strategies have not yet evolved in designation of “no-take” MPAs in Puget Sound. We offer conclusions and recommendations for accelerating conservation and resilience initiatives to keep pace with a changing environment. A key human dimensions research-based recommendation is that increasing environmental pressures intensify the need to strengthen collaborative and sustained planning and implementation processes.

The outlook for the establishment and management of marine protected area network in China

Abstract: This paper describes the basic conditions for the development of marine protected areas (MPAs) of China, and analyzes the characteristics of marine ecosystem diversity and species diversity according to the needs of protecting marine ecosystems. The establishment and management of marine protected areas in China are discussed, including classification and grading, quantity and distribution and main tasks of management, based on which to put forward an outlook for integrating and optimizing the marine protected area network and improving the management of the network from the perspective of designating marine protected areas to fill the gap in protecting the crucial areas of marine biodiversity.

Informing the design of territorial use rights in fisheries from marine protected area theory

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 596:247-262 (2018) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12571 REVIEW Informing the design of territorial use rights in fisheries from marine protected area theory Eréndira Aceves-Bueno1,*, Benjamin S. Halpern1,2,3 1Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-51312, USA 2National Center for Ecological Analysis & Synthesis, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, USA 3Imperial College London, Silwood Campus, Ascot, SL5 7PY, UK *Corresponding author: eaceves@bren.ucsb.edu ABSTRACT: Territorial use rights in fisheries (TURFs) can be an effective tool for the management of coastal resources, and interest in their use is increasing around the world. However, there is little guidance on how to design them. Fortunately, other marine spatial tools, such as marine protected areas (MPAs), have already addressed questions similar to those now central to successful TURF design. We propose that well-established lessons from MPA design should provide a strong basis for the development of design criteria for TURFs. In this paper, we review the MPA literature to inform the design of TURFs based on the similarities and differences of these 2 marine spatial management tools. We found that TURF design can obtain important lessons from MPA theory, for example on how to diminish the effects of environmental and human disturbance. In particular, the nascent idea of creating TURF networks can benefit significantly from the literature on MPA networks. KEY WORDS: TURFs · Marine tenure · Property rights · Small-scale fisheries · Artisanal fisheries · Co-management · Social-ecological systems · Marine conservation Full text in pdf format Supplementary material PreviousNextCite this article as: Aceves-Bueno E, Halpern BS (2018) Informing the design of territorial use rights in fisheries from marine protected area theory. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 596:247-262. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12571 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 596. Online publication date: May 28, 2018 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2018 Inter-Research.

Assessing connectivity between MPAs: Selecting taxa and translating genetic data to inform policy

Connectivity is frequently cited as a vital component of Marine Protected Area (MPA) networks and was formally identified as one of five key principles for marine network design in European waters. Yet, without the ability to demonstrate connectivity, it is impossible to be certain that sites designated within a MPA network do in fact constitute a network, when they may –irrespective of the diversity and rarity of the taxa within them– be in reality a set of unlinked habitats and associated species assemblages. However, the process of assessing connectivity between MPAs, and which taxa to include in assessments of connectivity, is often difficult and can be dependent on a variety of factors that can be outside the control of managers, stakeholders and policymakers. Among the many methods that have been used to assess connectivity, genetic markers are often used to infer connectivity indirectly by estimating the degree of genetic differentiation between populations of a species or by inferring the origin(s) of migrants using assignment methods. While modern molecular methods can be extremely robust and are now routinely used to address conservation issues, genetic data are, to the authors’ knowledge, rarely used to inform designation of MPA networks. In this paper, several biological and methodological factors are highlighted, consideration of which may help to inform the selection of species for assessments of connectivity between MPAs in a network, and this paper suggests ways in which genetic data may be interpreted to inform MPA design and policy.

High‐resolution modelling of ocean circulation can reveal retention spots important for biodiversity conservation

Abstract Larval transport by ocean circulation and its emerging property at the population level, i.e. connectivity, has received increasing attention thanks to the Aichi target 11 of protecting 10% of ocean surfaces through well‐connected marine protected area (MPA) networks. Furthermore, it is also important to investigate retention within a site, as it determines the self‐persistence of a population in an isolated MPA. Mediterranean rocky substrates host a conspicuous and diverse biota, which explains why MPA designations have targeted rocky habitat. Retention rates in the fragmented rocky habitat of the Gulf of Lion were established at two spatial scales (10 and 1 km2) using dispersal simulations. To this end we computed three‐dimensional flow simulations with high spatial resolution nearshore (80 m), combined with a high density of release spots (every 100 m). This study shows that among the six rocky 10‐km2 patches, the four with highest average retention rates for pelagic larval duration (PLD), of up to 42 days, were designated MPAs. Furthermore, within each MPA, small zones where special protection measures are applied correspond to 1‐km2 subpatches where the highest local retention rates were found. Yet the 2% most retentive subpatches of the rocky habitat do not exhibit retention rates large enough to ensure the local persistence of most species.

Managing for change: Using vertebrate at sea habitat use to direct management efforts

To understand and predict current and future distributions of animals under a changing climate it is essential to establish historical ranges as baselines against which distribution shifts can be assessed. Management approaches also require comprehension of temporal variability in spatial distributions that can occur over shorter time scales, such as inter-annually or seasonally. Focussing on the Southern Ocean, one of the most rapidly changing environments on Earth, we used Species Distribution Models (SDMs) and satellite ocean data to reconstruct the likely historical foraging habitats of Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella) from three populations during the non-breeding winter (Marion Island, Bird Island and Cape Shirreff), to assess whether habitat quality has changed in recent decades. We then quantified temporal variability in distributions to assess overlap with management areas (CCAMLR – Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources) and the potential for competition with fisheries. Despite notable physical ocean changes, the quality of foraging habitat during the non-breeding season has remained relatively consistent over 20 years at Marion and Bird Islands, but less so at Cape Shirreff, where reduced sea ice cover has improved habitat accessibility. Spatio-temporally explicit SDMs identified variability in habitats across the winter. Some areas overlapped significantly with fisheries activities, suggesting a potential for competition for prey resources at several key periods. A significant component of core habitat at all populations was not within the CCAMLR Convention Area. Although organisations such as CCAMLR adopt a precautionary, ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management, changes to the physical environment and developments in the fishing industry can affect how dependant species are impacted. The hindcasting of historical spatial distributions shown here are baselines against which future changes can be assessed. Given recent proposals for a system of marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Southern Ocean, our results can be used in the design and evaluation of MPAs, be they static or dynamic. Our study also demonstrates that the core habitat of species may fall outside of areas of active management, providing an important context for the interpretation of monitoring programs and management efforts.

The conservation “myths” we live by: Reimagining human–nature relationships within the Scottish marine policy context

There are growing calls for the articulation and consideration of different value systems and emotions in shaping conservation and natural resource management decisions and participatory resource governance. This requires recognition of the socio‐cultural relations attached to landscape and seascape in marine conservation policy. Taking into account the relationship between the socio‐natural environment and socio‐political institutions and processes complicates conservation. Making human values and assumptions explicit within the conservation discourse reveals the inadequacy of conservation that is focused on a biodiversity that is framed only as other‐than‐human nature. This paper considers how the perceived separation between nature and culture underpinning conservation policy and practice exacerbated a conflict between members of a small Scottish island community and the Scottish Government around the creation of a marine protected area (MPA) off the coast of the island. A rich maritime heritage and a distinctive way of knowing the sea suggested the presence of embedded values that appeared to be colliding with values driving the MPA designation process. Social, historical and cultural forces have shaped the perceptions of landscape and seascape of many of the islanders and can help to explain the local resistance to the MPA. Visual participatory methods were used to explore local understandings of the meaning of conservation. The case‐study offers insights into different ways in which marine spaces are conceptualised and how this relates to marine resource governance. It contributes to a more complete understanding of human relations with the marine environment in the context of a marine conservation conflict.

A stocktake of England’s MPA network – taking a global perspective approach

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have developed in number and area at an unprecedented rate over the past 20 years in the UK. As with all other states, UK MPA designation and management requires evidence on the location, state, extent and vulnerability of marine organisms. Whilst the evidence base has been used to designate 297 sites in two decades covering over 20% of our exclusive economic zone (EEZ) area, the level of evidence required to manage activities and the necessary secondary legislative mechanisms and controls are unwieldy and overly complex. This makes the practical implementation of management measures difficult and blocks the ambition that such a large MPA network merits. Furthermore, a fundamental difference of opinion exists between government, regulators and civil society of levels of protection required to afford the marine environment ‘good’ status, given disagreement of baseline condition of our marine estate. Regardless of these difficulties, some regions of the UK have seen positive progressive management. It is hoped that the best examples of management can be transferred to other districts to encourage more efficient progress.

How good is your marine protected area at curbing threats?

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are key tools to mitigate human impacts in coastal environments, promoting sustainable activities to conserve biodiversity. The designation of MPAs alone may not result in the lessening of some human threats, which is highly dependent on management goals and the related specific regulations that are adopted. Here, we develop and operationalize a local threat assessment framework. We develop indices to quantify the effectiveness of MPAs (or individual zones within MPAs in the case of multiple-use MPAs) in reducing anthropogenic extractive and non-extractive threats operating at local scale, focusing specifically on threats that can be managed through MPAs. We apply this framework in 15 Mediterranean MPAs to assess their threat reduction capacity. We show that fully protected areas effectively eliminate extractive activities, whereas the intensity of artisanal and recreational fishing within partially protected areas, paradoxically, is higher than that found outside MPAs, questioning their ability at reaching conservation targets. In addition, both fully and partially protected areas attract non-extractive activities that are potential threats. Overall, only three of the 15 MPAs had lower intensities for the entire set of eight threats considered, in respect to adjacent control unprotected areas. Understanding the intensity and occurrence of human threats operating at the local scale inside and around MPAs is important for assessing MPAs effectiveness in achieving the goals they have been designed for, informing management strategies, and prioritizing specific actions.

Key drivers of effectiveness in small marine protected areas

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a key management tool for the conservation of biodiversity and restoration of marine communities. While large, well-designed and enforced MPAs have been found to be effective, results from small MPAs vary. The Hawkesbury Shelf, a coastal bioregion in New South Wales, Australia, has ten small, near-shore MPAs known as Aquatic Reserves with a variety of protection levels from full no-take to partial protection. This study assessed the effectiveness of these MPAs and analysed how MPA age, size, protection level, wave exposure, habitat complexity, and large canopy-forming algal cover affected fish, invertebrate and benthic communities. We found aspect, protection level, complexity and algal canopy to be important predictors of communities in these MPAs. Most MPAs, however, were not effective in meeting their goals. Only full no-take protection (three out of ten MPAs) had a significant impact on fish assemblages. One no-take MPA—Cabbage Tree Bay—which is naturally sheltered from wave action and benefits from an active local community providing informal enforcement, accounted for most of the increased richness of large fish and increased biomass of targeted fish species. Our findings suggest that small MPAs can enhance biodiversity and biomass on a local scale but only if they have full no-take protection, are in sheltered locations with complex habitat, and have positive community involvement to engender support and stewardship. These results provide a baseline for robust assessment of the effectiveness of small MPAs and inform future management decisions and small MPA design in other locations.

Protection alone may not promote natural recovery of biogenic habitats of high biodiversity damaged by mobile fishing gears

The horse mussel Modiolus modiolus (L.) is a large marine bivalve that aggregates to create complex habitats of high biodiversity. As a keystone species, M. modiolus is of great importance for the functioning of marine benthic ecosystems, forming biogenic habitats used to designate Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The present study investigates the condition of M. modiolus beds historically subjected to intense scallop fishing using mobile fishing gears. The study, conducted seven years after the introduction of legislation banning all forms of fishing, aimed to establish whether natural habitat recovery occurs after protection measures are put in place.Lower biodiversity and up to 80% decline in densities of M. modiolus were recorded across the current distributional range of the species in Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland. The decline in biodiversity in most areas surveyed was consistent with that observed in biogenic reefs impacted by mobile fishing gears elsewhere. Epifauna, including sponges, hydroids and tunicates, experienced the most substantial decline in biodiversity, with up to 64% fewer taxa recorded in 2010 compared with 2003. Higher variability in community composition and a shift towards faunal assemblages dominated by opportunistic infaunal species typical of softer substrata were also detected. Based on these observations we suggest that, for biogenic habitats, the designation of MPAs and the introduction of fishing bans alone may not be sufficient to reverse or halt the negative effects caused by past anthropogenic impacts. Direct intervention, including habitat restoration based on translocation of native keystone species, should be considered as part of management strategies for MPAs which host similar biogenic reef habitats where condition and natural recovery have been compromised.