Crossing the divide: The challenges of designing an ecologically coherent and representative network of MPAs for the UK

Jones, Peter J.S.; Carpenter, Alan T.

doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2009.02.006

Cited by 15 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Much can be learned in Europe from this process. A recent study based on interviews of UK fishermen on the topic of reserves supports the conclusion that despite the fact that the majority of the representatives objected to the concept, there is potential for pragmatic and constructive participation of fishermen in reserve planning, including the use of experiential knowledge of the ecosystems in planning processes [21].…”

Section: Socio-economics and Politicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Marine reserves may be perceived as a threat to the livelihoods and way of life of those who will no longer be permitted to carry out their usual activities in these areas [21], and substantial economic impacts on local communities are a realistic threat related to reserve establishment in Europe and elsewhere. However, effective reserve networks can be designed to reach conservation targets while avoiding user conflicts by having collaborative and effective discussions amongst biologists and fisheries stakeholders.…”

Section: Socio-economics and Politicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In order for member states to comply with the MSFD they must ensure that their biological and physical marine features adhere to the 11 qualitative descriptors of GES for the maintenance of biological diversity, habitat quality, and sustainable harvest levels of fish and shellfish stocks [20]. Member states must put in place measures to achieve GES, with the establishment of coherent networks of marine protected areas (MPAs) as the only mandated measure [20][21][22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The science of European marine reserves: Status, efficacy, and future needs

et al. 2012

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Section: Socio-economics and Politicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Socio-economics and Politicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The science of European marine reserves: Status, efficacy, and future needs

et al. 2012

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“…Larval dispersal research has already been integrated into MPA planning, primarily advising on MPA spacing (Botsford et al, 2001;Gaines et al, 2003;Shanks et al, 2003), size (Botsford et al, 2001;Shanks et al, 2003), and persistence (Jessopp et al, 2007). However all advice is currently based on several studies of shallow water taxa, and even then the advice is highly variable (Botsford et al, 2001;Jones et al, 2009;Shanks et al, 2003;Wedding et al, 2013). Even fewer data are available on the larval dispersal of deep sea organisms, leaving offshore MPA planning reliant upon the same limited shallow water advice (Roberts et al, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards ‘ecological coherence’: Assessing larval dispersal within a network of existing Marine Protected Areas

Ross

Nimmo‐Smith

Howell

2017

Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers

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The Convention on Biological Diversity mandates the establishment of Marine Protected Area (MPA) networks worldwide, with recommendations stating the importance of 'ecological coherence' (a responsibility to support and perpetuate the existing ecosystem) implying the need to sustain population connectivity. While recommendations exist for integrating connectivity data into MPA planning, little advice exists on how to assess the connectivity of existing networks. This study makes use of recently observed larval characteristics and freely available models to demonstrate how such an assessment could be undertaken. The cold water coral (CWC) Lophelia pertusa (Linnaeus, 1758) is used as a model species, as much of the NE Atlantic MPA network has been designated for CWC reef protection, but the ecological coherence of the network has yet to be assessed. Simulations are run for different behavioural null models allowing a comparison of 'passive' (current driven) and 'active' (currents + vertical migration) dispersal, while an average prediction is used for MPA assessment. This model suggests that the network may support widespread larval exchange and has good local retention rates but still has room for improvement. The best performing MPAs were large and central to the network facilitating transport across local dispersal barriers. On average, passive and active dispersal simulations gave statistically similar results, providing encouragement to future local dispersal assessments where active characteristics are unknown.

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“…connectivity, habitat type, species distributions) needed to support adequate MPA network designs (e.g. Ban et al, 2009;Jones and Carpenter, 2009;Smith et al, 2009;Magris et al, 2014) and recognize that, in most cases, only a small part of this information is available. Only data on habitat type is available across EU coastal waters even if other datasets exist at the regional or national levels (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An ecological framework for the development of a national MPA network

Abecasis

Afonso

Erzini

2017

Aquat. Living Resour.

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Isolated marine protected areas (MPAs) may not be enough to sustain viable populations of marine species, particularly the many small coastal MPAs which resulted due to social, economic and political constraints. Properly designed MPA networks can circumvent such limitations due to their potential synergistic positive effects, but this crucial step is frequently obstructed by lack of baseline ecological information. In this paper, we use systematic conservation planning on European Nature Information System coastal habitat information available for Portugal to demonstrate how an ecologically coherent nationwide MPA network can be designed. We used the software Marxan to obtain near optimal solutions for each of three predetermined conservation targets (10%, 30% and 50% protection) while maintaining the cost of including conservation units as low as possible. Marxan solutions were subsequently optimized with MinPatch by keeping each MPA above a minimum size that reflects the existing information on habitat use by some key marine fishes. Results show that 10% protection for all habitats would only require a relativelly small increase in the number (from 6 to 10) and area (from 479 km 2 to 509 km 2) of already existing MPAs in mainland Portugal whereas substantial increases would be required to achieve the 50% target. This rather simple approach offers the added benefit of allowing design improvement as more relevant ecological information becomes available, including deeper habitat mapping across the whole continental shelf, allowing a coherent, adaptive and inclusive optimal MPA network to be designed.

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Crossing the divide: The challenges of designing an ecologically coherent and representative network of MPAs for the UK

Cited by 15 publications

References 24 publications

The science of European marine reserves: Status, efficacy, and future needs

The science of European marine reserves: Status, efficacy, and future needs

Towards ‘ecological coherence’: Assessing larval dispersal within a network of existing Marine Protected Areas

An ecological framework for the development of a national MPA network

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