Soundscapes are promising indicators of marine habitat condition, yet this approach remains untested in many ecosystems, and soundscape-ecological relationships remain unclear. In this study, we analyzed soundscapes in kelp forest habitats off the coast of California, USA, in Channel Islands National Park. We investigated if (1) soundscape features correlated with ecological variables and (2) these features differed inside and outside of marine protected areas (MPAs). We recorded 1 min every 15 min at 5 sites from 12 May to 23 June 2018. Three sites were in MPAs with high kelp cover and low urchin density, while 2 were in adjacent, unprotected habitats with low kelp cover and high urchin density. To analyze the data, we calculated soundscape features using detection algorithms and acoustic indices, which we then correlated with annual ecological data from 2016 to 2018. We found that drivers of regime shifts in kelp forests, i.e. sea urchin density, kelp cover, and fish diversity, were significantly related to soundscape features. Sea urchin density was positively correlated and kelp cover negatively correlated with the rate of shrimp snaps. Fish species richness and abundance were positively correlated with the intensity and diel dynamics in the low-frequency bands that contained most fish vocalizations. This study demonstrates that marine soundscapes indicate the condition of kelp forests, which are vulnerable to destruction from urchin overgrazing. If marine soundscapes can reliably indicate the status of ecological drivers, then this approach could be a valuable complement to diver surveys in fully assessing marine ecosystem health.
Gaining public support for management actions is important to the success of public land management agencies' efforts to protect threatened and endangered species. This is especially relevant at national parks, where managers balance two aspects of their conservation mission: to protect resources and to provide for public enjoyment. This study examined variables potentially associated with support for management actions at Cape Lookout National Seashore, a unit of the National Park Service. Two visitor surveys were conducted at the park at different seasons, and a resident survey was conducted for households in Carteret County, North Carolina, where the park is located. The goal of the project was to provide park managers with information that may help with the development of communication strategies concerning the park's conservation mission. These communication strategies may help to facilitate mutual understanding and garner public support for management actions. Several variables were examined as potential determinants that park managers ought to consider when developing communication strategies. Multinomial logistic regression was applied to examine the relationships between these variables and the likelihood of support for or opposition to management actions. The variables examined included perceived shared values of park resources, general environmental attitudes, level of familiarity with park resources and regulations, knowledge about threatened and endangered species, level of trust in the decision-making process, and perceived shared values with park management. In addition, demographic variables such as income level, respondent age, residency status, and visitor type were also used. The results show that perceived values of threatened and endangered species, trust in park managers and the decisionmaking process, and perceived share values with park managers were among the strongest indicators of support for management actions. Different user groups also exhibited different levels of support, with groups engaged in specialized has shown an effective communications strategy should be customized to target different audiences. In addition, management should focus on developing longterm relationships that build trust in and foster credibility of decision-making processes.
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