Identification of priority cetacean areas in the north‐east Atlantic using systematic conservation planning

Abstract

Mobile marine protected areas have been proposed for the conservation of highly seasonal or mobile marine megafauna. However, seasonal data on the distribution of marine wildlife to inform protected areas are generally scarce worldwide, especially for cetaceans, which makes dynamic solutions difficult to implement. Furthermore, conservation objectives are often set at the level of individual species rather than at the community level, despite many species having similar or overlapping habitat requirements, and a comparison of the effectiveness of mobile vs. static Marine Protected Areas options has rarely been done. Systematic conservation planning was used to identify priority areas of cetacean biodiversity in the north‐east Atlantic accounting for seasonal changes in distribution. Consistent hotspots across seasons at a community level, in particular along the shelf edge, suggest that fixed priority areas for cetacean biodiversity may be appropriate. The area required for protection to meet conservation targets (i.e. 20% of a population occurring within a protected area) is minimized when considering populations at basin scale rather than national level. Highly mobile megafauna normally exploit persistent and predictable oceanographic features, so a habitat suitability rather than a jurisdiction‐based approach is more appropriate.