Selection Of Marine Protected Areas Research Articles

Preferential selection of marine protected areas by the recreational scuba diving industry

Extensive research has illuminated the diverse values of marine protected areas (MPAs), including protecting biodiversity, promoting climate change resilience, and enhancing spillover to fisheries. Comparatively less attention has been given to if and how MPAs can benefit and influence marine ecotourism. Here we use Automatic Identification System (AIS) vessel data to create a long-term, high-resolution portrait of how MPAs shape the behavior of one prominent form of marine ecotourism: scuba diving. Specifically, we explore how the spatial use patterns of scuba diving vessels are affected by MPAs in California’s Northern Channel Islands when these vessels are engaged in two use scenarios: 1) non-extractive ecotourism diving (e.g., wildlife viewing, photography) and 2) recreational scuba-based lobster fishing. Using analyses of AIS data and resource selection models, coupled with insights from vessel operator surveys, we find that scuba diving vessels preferentially selected for MPAs when engaged in ecotourism activities, and for MPA buffer zones when engaged in lobster fishing (i.e., “fishing the line”). These conclusions provide strong evidence of the benefit of MPAs for the scuba diving industry in Southern California and highlight the value of engaging the ecotourism industry in MPA management decisions. This observation is especially timely as state, national, and international bodies advance on commitments to protect 30% of coastal waters in the coming years.

Optimal selection of marine protected areas based on connectivity and habitat quality

Networks of nature reserves and protected areas are important instruments to protect biodiversity, including harvested populations. Selection of marine protected networks (MPA) will depend on both the connectivity of concerned species and the habitat quality of individual sites. We explore the relative effect of connectivity and habitat quality on solutions for optimal networks of MPA using eigenvalue perturbation theory and a metapopulation model. Based on analyses of both synthetic networks and realistic connectivities for a sessile invertebrate with planktonic larvae in the Baltic Sea, we show that connectivity is expected to be more efficient than habitat quality as a selection criterion for MPA networks with realistic probabilities of local recruitment. In a second series of analyses we explore the effect of temporal variability of connectivity on the selection of optimal MPA networks. We show that optimal solutions of MPA networks converged when based on 8–10 years of connectivity information, corresponding to the time scale of the North-Atlantic oscillation. In conclusion, this study indicates that connectivity may be more important than habitat quality as selection criterion for MPAs when targeting species with long-distance dispersal that is typical for many marine invertebrates and fish. Our study also shows that connectivity patterns may be relatively consistent in time which suggests that the recent progress in biophysical modelling can offer a framework for optimal selection of MPA networks based on connectivities, which should improve guidelines for the design of functional MPA networks.

Ecological and conservation significance of the subtidal rocky reef communities of northern New South Wales, Australia

The subtropical rocky reefs of Cook Island, Julian Rocks and the South West Rocks area form part of a chain of islands and reefs with significant coral cover from the Queensland border (28˚S) to the southern extent of extensive coral communities in coastal Australia (31˚S). Benthic communities at 18 subtidal sites at the three localities were surveyed quantitatively by video-transects, and coral species lists were compiled. Twenty-eight coral species previously unrecorded for these localities were identified, increasing the species richness of hermatypic corals reported for the northern NSW region (excluding the Solitary Islands) from 14 to 43. Coral species richness declined with latitude. Benthic communities were generally dominated by turfing and macroalgal species, with Pyura, sponges, and barnacles locally abundant. Scleractinian coral cover ranged from 0% to 42.6% per site, with highest coral cover at the most southern site. Julian Rocks is a designated Aquatic Reserve, and Marine Parks have been suggested for all three localities. Selection of Marine Protected Areas requires information on their ecological significance. These surveys report the first quantitative information on the shallow- water, rocky-reef communities in the region, which is a vital step in assessing their ecological significance.