Role Of Marine Protected Areas Research Articles

Weight–length relationships of four intertidal mollusc species from the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and their potential for conservation

ABSTRACT Weight-length relationships (WLRs) are frequently used for the development of comparative studies of life history, population dynamics, ecosystem modelling and estimation of the production and biomass of populations among regions. WLRs provide information about growth, wellbeing and fitness of a population in a marine environment. WLRs for four topshells (Phorcus atratus, Phorcus lineatus, Phorcus mariae, Phorcus sauciatus) caught in North-eastern Atlantic Ocean (Azores, Canaries, Cape Verde, Madeira and Mainland Portugal) were established and their relative growth was assessed. The results showed that almost all species exhibited a positive allometric growth. A comparative study on the effect of harvest in the relative growth of P. sauciatus in the archipelago of Madeira showed that all the populations from exploited areas exhibited a negative allometric growth in contrast to the populations from the Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) which were predominantly isometric. The present results indicate that the conservation measures established in the protected areas promoted a positive effect in the protected populations and are valuable for establishing a set of monitoring and management measures aiming at the sustainable exploitation and conservation of these species. These results are important to demonstrate the role of MPAs in the conservation of these keystone species in the north eastern Atlantic Ocean rocky shore ecosystems.

Modeling the role of marine protected areas on the recovery of shallow rocky reef ecosystem after a catastrophic submarine volcanic eruption

Modeling is a useful approach to learn about the capacity of the systems to recover after disturbances. In October 2011, a submarine volcanic eruption in The Punta Restinga–Mar de Las Calmas Marine Protected Area (RMC-MPA) caused catastrophic mass mortality. We modeled the recovery dynamics of the fully protected (no-take zone), partially protected (buffer zone), and unprotected (fished zone) areas to evaluate their resilience and their potential to restore fishing resources. Recovery varied with species and levels of protection. Benthic macroalgae and parrotfish populations recovered the fastest. Piscivore fishes, macroinvertebrate feeders, and macroinvertebrate detritivores required more extended recovery periods. The levels of protection played a significant role in recovery, with the no-take zone showing more resilience than the buffer and fished zones. Our results suggest that no-take zones are crucial in the recovery process after catastrophic events. Regular monitoring of benthic communities provided the necessary data to model these communities and to point to the regulation of the artisanal fleet activity in restricted fishing areas as a mechanism to further enhance the recovery of fishing stocks.

South Africa’s newly approved marine protected areas have increased the protected modelled habitat of nine odontocete species

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 633:1-21 (2020) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13190 FEATURE ARTICLE South Africa’s newly approved marine protected areas have increased the protected modelled habitat of nine odontocete species Jean Purdon1,*, Fannie Shabangu2, Marc Pienaar3, Michael J. Somers4, Ken P. Findlay5 1Whale Unit, Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa 2Fisheries Management Branch, Department of Environmental Affairs, Cape Town 8000, South Africa 3South African Environmental Observation Network, uLwazi Node, Pretoria 0083, South Africa 4Eugène Marais Chair of Wildlife Management, Centre for Invasion Biology, Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa 5CPUT Research Chair: Oceans Economy, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town 8000, South Africa *Corresponding author: purdonjean@gmail.com ABSTRACT: Marine protected areas (MPAs) are important for the preservation of ecosystem functioning, ecosystem services, resilience and biodiversity around the world. In South Africa, the role of MPAs in the protection of cetaceans is poorly understood, a knowledge gap that may affect management decisions and future cetacean conservation. Here, we used presence data of 9 odontocete species (namely southern bottlenose whale Hyperoodon planifrons, common dolphin Delphinus delphis, dusky dolphin Lagenorhynchus obscurus, false killer whale Pseudorca crassidens, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin Sousa chinensis, Heaviside’s dolphin Cephalorhynchus heavisidii, killer whale Orcinus orca, Risso’s dolphin Grampus griseus and Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin Tursiops aduncus) to predict their distribution in the South African exclusive economic zone (EEZ) using ensemble models. The data were collected from various opportunistic, historical and scientific records spanning the period 1957-2014. Up to 9 predictor variables (sea surface temperature, chlorophyll a concentration, salinity, bathymetry, distance to shore, bottom slope, eastward and northward sea water velocity and bioregion) were used in the ensemble model to predict the distributions for each odontocete species. Model results suggest that some of the species’ preferred habitats are partially (i.e. <5% of the distribution) protected by the established MPAs, but the protection area does increase with the recently approved MPAs. This study provides a baseline for the distribution of the 9 odontocete species in relation to the MPAs, which could facilitate the protection and management of these species in the region and help identify important marine mammal areas. KEY WORDS: Habitat modelling · Species distributions · Marine protected areas · Odontocetes · South Africa Full text in pdf format Information about this Feature Article Supplementary material NextCite this article as: Purdon J, Shabangu F, Pienaar M, Somers MJ, Findlay KP (2020) South Africa’s newly approved marine protected areas have increased the protected modelled habitat of nine odontocete species. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 633:1-21. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13190 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 633. Online publication date: January 09, 2020 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2020 Inter-Research.

Debating the effectiveness of marine protected areas

Abstract Increasing the size and number of marine protected areas (MPAs) is widely seen as a way to meet ambitious biodiversity and sustainable development goals. Yet, debate still exists on the effectiveness of MPAs in achieving ecological and societal objectives. Although the literature provides significant evidence of the ecological effects of MPAs within their boundaries, much remains to be learned about the ecological and social effects of MPAs on regional and seascape scales. Key to improving the effectiveness of MPAs, and ensuring that they achieve desired outcomes, will be better monitoring that includes ecological and social data collected inside and outside of MPAs. This can lead to more conclusive evidence about what is working, what is not, and why. Eight authors were asked to write about their experiences with MPA effectiveness. The authors were instructed to clearly define “effectiveness” and discuss the degree to which they felt MPAs had achieved or failed to be effective. Essays were exchanged among authors and each was invited to write a shorter “counterpoint.” The exercise shows that, while experiences are diverse, many authors found common ground regarding the role of MPAs in achieving conservation targets. This exchange of perspectives is intended to promote reflection, analysis, and dialogue as a means for improving MPA design, assessment, and integration with other conservation tools.

North East Atlantic vs. Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas as Fisheries Management Tool

The effectiveness of management initiatives implemented in the context of the European Common Fisheries Policy has been questioned, especially with regard to the Mediterranean. Some of the analyses made to compare the fishing activity and management measures carried out in the North East Atlantic and in the Mediterranean do not take into account some of the differentiating peculiarities of each of these regions. At the same time, they resort to traditional fisheries management measures and do not discuss the role of marine protected areas as a complementary management tool. In this respect, the apparent failure of marine protected areas in the North-East Atlantic compared with the same in the Mediterranean is challenging European fishery scientists. Application of the classical holistic view of ecological succession to the functioning of fishery closures and no-use areas highlights the importance of combining both management regimes to fully satisfy both fishery- and biodiversity-oriented goals. We advocate that an optimal management strategy for designing an MPA to protect biodiversity and sustain fishing yields consists of combining a network of no-use areas (close to their mature state) with fish boxes (buffer zones maintained by fishing disturbance in a relatively early successional stage, where productivity is higher), under a multi-zoning scheme. In this framework, the importance of no-use areas for fisheries is based on several observations: 1) They preserve biological diversity at regional scale, at all levels –specific, habitat/seascape, and also genetic diversity and the structure of populations, allowing natural selection to operate. 2) They permit, the natural variability of the system to be differentiated from the effects of regulation and to be integrated in appropriate sampling schemes as controls. 3) They maintain the natural size and age structure of the populations, hence maximizing potential fecundity, allowing biomass export to occur from core to regulated areas, dampening the fluctuations derived from deviations from the theoretical optimal effort in the fishing zone.

Assessing the Effects of Marine Protected Areas on Biological Invasions: A Global Review

Marine protected areas (MPAs) have proven to be an effective tool to conserve marine biodiversity and restore ecosystem functioning. Yet, the role of MPAs in providing resilience to global threats, such as biological invasions, is poorly understood. Assessing the effects of MPAs on invasive species is crucial for effective MPA planning and management . We conducted a peer-reviewed literature survey to synthesize all available information on the performance of alien/invasive species in MPAs at a global scale. We also assessed the effects of protection on such species following a meta-analytical approach. We found only 17 studies that were suitable for the qualitative and quantitative synthesis. We included studies that provided data on alien species from both inside and outside MPAs. The largest proportion of the available literature provided data on alien molluscs (40%), followed by algae (28%). Information on the effects of protection on alien/invasive species is available for only 11% of the marine biogeographic provinces; principally, for the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas. Only four studies provided adequate quantitative data to estimate the effect of protection on the density and biomass of 12 alien species. We found that protection had a significant negative effect on half the species, whereas 33% of the species were positively affected. Our review demonstrates the scarcity of data on this crucial topic. More evidence on various species and taxonomic groups across marine regions is necessary to draw robust conclusions.

Marine Protected Areas debate: Implications for the proposed Phakisa Marine Protected Areas Network

South Africa recently had the privilege of hosting prominent fisheries scientist Professor Ray Hilborn from Washington University who stimulated lively discussion on global stock status, food production, impacts of trawling on the seabed, fisheries management and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Professor Hilborn gave a seminar billed as 'Fisheries Myths' on 25 August 2016 and the following day participated in a formal debate at the Two Oceans Aquarium on South Africa's MPA expansion strategy and the need for additional MPAs. The debate was held between Professors Ray Hilborn and Doug Butterworth (Marine Resource and Assessment Management Group, Applied Mathematics Department, University of Cape Town) speaking against the strategy and expansion, and Dr Jean Harris (Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife and Pew Fellow) and Professor Colin Attwood (Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town) speaking in favour of additional MPAs. The debate examined the need for MPA expansion; the effect of MPAs on fisheries; and the role of MPAs in fisheries management, food security and biodiversity protection; and interrogated targets to increase ocean protection.

International law problems of the istablishment of marine protected areas

RETRACTED Review. The article is devoted to the analysis of international law aspects of protection of marine biodiversity and its main component, namely, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The authors propose the international law definition of the MPA. They also analyze the definitions of MPAs set forth in legislation of states. The reasons and grounds for establishing such areas are considered Types of MPAs are considered in more detail. It is noted that at present the following types can be distinguished: marine protected areas, particularly sensitive sea areas; areas of protection of the world cultural heritage, protected areas or areas where special measures need to be taken to conserve biological diversity, marine protected areas per se. The article analyzes the provisions of international treaties, as well as recommendatory acts, that provide for the possibility and necessity of the establishment of MPAs. Much attention is paid to the United Nations' contribution to the development of the institute of MPAs. The large role of the UN Secretary-General in the process of determining the role of MPAs in the conservation of marine living resources and biodiversity is noted. Resolutions of the UN General Assembly are presented and considered. It was noted that particular attention should be paid to the UN Resolution adopted in 2015 «Development of an international legally-binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation andsustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction». During the development of a legally binding instrument MPAs establishment problems will be examined. In addition to the United Nations, the activities of other international intergovernmental organizations on various issues concerning MPAs, namely FAO, UNESCO, NEAFC, have been analyzed. The authors give examples of establishing MPAs in the waters under the jurisdiction of a number of countries: Canada, USA, Japan, Mexico and Cuba. National legal acts, in accordance with which such areas have been established, have been determined and analyzed. Special attention is paid to the activities of the CCAMLR aimed at establishing MPAs in the area of regulation of the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources 1980. It is noted that the organization is actively taking various measures to establish such areas. The CCAMLR decisions have been subjected to thorough analysis. As the result of the consideration of problems mentioned above, the authors suggest that an international code on the legal status of MPAs should be developed and adopted.

Large-scale assessment of Mediterranean marine protected areas effects on fish assemblages.

Marine protected areas (MPAs) were acknowledged globally as effective tools to mitigate the threats to oceans caused by fishing. Several studies assessed the effectiveness of individual MPAs in protecting fish assemblages, but regional assessments of multiple MPAs are scarce. Moreover, empirical evidence on the role of MPAs in contrasting the propagation of non-indigenous-species (NIS) and thermophilic species (ThS) is missing. We simultaneously investigated here the role of MPAs in reversing the effects of overfishing and in limiting the spread of NIS and ThS. The Mediterranean Sea was selected as study area as it is a region where 1) MPAs are numerous, 2) fishing has affected species and ecosystems, and 3) the arrival of NIS and the northward expansion of ThS took place. Fish surveys were done in well-enforced no-take MPAs (HP), partially-protected MPAs (IP) and fished areas (F) at 30 locations across the Mediterranean. Significantly higher fish biomass was found in HP compared to IP MPAs and F. Along a recovery trajectory from F to HP MPAs, IP were similar to F, showing that just well enforced MPAs triggers an effective recovery. Within HP MPAs, trophic structure of fish assemblages resembled a top-heavy biomass pyramid. Although the functional structure of fish assemblages was consistent among HP MPAs, species driving the recovery in HP MPAs differed among locations: this suggests that the recovery trajectories in HP MPAs are likely to be functionally similar (i.e., represented by predictable changes in trophic groups, especially fish predators), but the specific composition of the resulting assemblages may depend on local conditions. Our study did not show any effect of MPAs on NIS and ThS. These results may help provide more robust expectations, at proper regional scale, about the effects of new MPAs that may be established in the Mediterranean Sea and other ecoregions worldwide.

Zoning Marine Protected Areas through Spatial Multiple‐Criteria Analysis: the Case of the Asinara Island National Marine Reserve of Italy

Abstract: As the role of marine protected areas as conservation tools becomes better understood and more sophisticated, their planning becomes more complicated. Systematic, objective approaches to site selection and design can help reconcile conflicting interests, represent stakeholders' viewpoints fairly and evenly, and extend the scope of planning studies from single reserves to networks. We illustrate the use of spatial multiple‐criteria analysis for determining the suitability of marine areas for different uses and levels of protection. This technique couples geographic information systems (GIS) for land assessment and evaluation with a formal statement of the design priorities as seen from the different viewpoints of all involved stakeholders. The planning process, while staying focused on the main purposes of conservation and feasibility, involves all the main interest groups in the definition of priorities so that conflicts and tensions are kept under control. We used multiple‐criteria analysis to integrate objective data with the contrasting priorities of different stakeholders in the planning of a marine protected area. The results of the analysis can be used to define an optimal spatial arrangement of different protection levels. As a case study, we developed a zoning plan for one of the first marine protected areas in Italy, the Asinara Island National Marine Reserve.

Artisanal fishing and coastal conservation in West Africa

Artisanal fishing is an activity which has long occupied an important place on the West African coast. In less than 20 years, the increasingly widespread use of motors in fishing boats and cold storage facilities both on board and on land have enabled fishermen to master the constraints of space and time. Furthermore, globalization has created a demand for new products, thus influencing the behaviour of fishermen and consequently the status of some fish, turtle and marine mammal species. Development policies for artisanal fishing do not adequately reflect the importance of these changes. They tend to use inappropriate scales of reference, be it spatially (national borders take precedence over ecosystems) or temporally (the long-term consequences of development plans are seldom considered). Some international conservation organizations are testing promising new approaches to managing resources more sustainably and restoring degraded ecosystems, and their recent experiences can serve as useful examples to others. It is recommended to grant special rights of access to resident fishermen. In defending ‘their’ resources, they will also protect the ecological functions of the area. Close collaboration with administrations and development assistance agencies is needed to assess consequences of political decisions on the use of resources. The important role of marine protected areas as a tool for fishing management should be better documented and strengthened. These areas should not be considered as isolated units but rather as vital parts of a comprehensive system for improved coastal zone management. Consistent with the ecosystem approach, fishermen and their communities, being the main users of coastal resources, should also play a major role in the design and implementation of any fishing management actions.