A decision-support tool to facilitate discussion of no-take boundaries for Marine Protected Areas during stakeholder consultation processes

Abstract

a b s t r a c tMarine Protected Areas (MPAs) are proposed to help conserve marine biodiversity and ecological integrity. There is much guidance on the optimal design of MPAs but once potential MPAs are identified there is little guidance on defining the final no-take boundaries. This is especially problematic in temperate zones where ecological boundaries are "fuzzy", which can be quite complicated during a consultation process involving the government and divergent stakeholder groups. More decision-support tools are needed to help stakeholders and government agencies objectively compare conservation and socio-economic trade-offs among proposed boundary options. To that end, we developed a method to identify which boundary minimizes spatial overlap of highly vulnerable species and a dominant stressor. We used the recently proposed boundary options of a candidate MPA in Atlantic Canada to illustrate our method. We evaluated the vulnerability of 23 key species to bottom trawling, the most prevalent stressor in the area. We then compared the spatial overlap of the most vulnerable species and the 2002-2011 footprint of bottom trawling among boundary options. The best boundary option was identified as that which minimized spatial overlap and total area. This approach identifies boundary options which provide the greatest protection of vulnerable species from their most significant stressor, at limited socio-economic cost. It is an objective decision-support tool to help stakeholders agree on final boundaries for MPAs.

Effective Public Participation is Fundamental for Marine Conservation—Lessons from a Large-Scale MPA

“…While such tools may generate 'a solution', it is inevitably refined if/when socio-economic values and political compromises are introduced (often the most fundamental determinants for a socially acceptable outcome). Stortini et al (2015) propose a DST to help evaluate different boundary options. However, do not expect all the necessary social, economic and political information can be realistically used in such analytical tools, and remember: "Garbage in, garbage out".…”

Quantifying the squeezing or stretching of fisheries as they adapt to displacement by marine reserves

“…The framework, however, could be used to refine the boundaries of a reserve that has a fixed location (Stortini et al. ) or to identify the optimum location if multiple potential areas are available (Possingham et al. ).…”

Models and Approaches for Integrating Protected Areas with Their Surroundings: A Review of the Literature

“…Moreover, quantization methods, such as the probability of connectivity index [33] and multi-tenure reserve networks [34] were developed. During the current decade, there has also been an emphasis on mapping suitable areas for better conservation, for example, through ecosystem service maps [2] and no-take boundary design [35]. [85] We found the models above in the selected journal papers, then searched for the models in the papers listed in the references, as well as in Google Scholar.…”

“…No-take boundary design (NTBD) [35] NTBD is a decision-support tool for flexible vulnerability assessments of key species. It is used to identify the best boundary options for marine protected areas (MPAs).…”

“…This development is evident in mapping, which is an indirect approach aimed at applying spatial information within decision-making through the mapping of ecological and social interactions [35]. Most of the models under this category focus on how to map ecosystem services and PA hotspots [2].…”