Biodiversity, ecosystem services, and the conservation of seagrass meadows

2014 ◽  
pp. 95-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard K. F. Unsworth ◽  
Leanne C. Cullen-Unsworth
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Seagrass Meadows

A proposed decision support tool for prioritising conservation planning of Southeast Asian seagrass meadows: combined approaches based on ecosystem services and vulnerability analyses

2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 305-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Mei Tan ◽  
Justine E. Saunders ◽  
Siti Maryam Yaakub
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Conservation Planning ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Impact Resistance ◽  
Conservation Priority ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
Seagrass Meadows ◽  
Anthropogenic Threats

AbstractSeagrass habitats provide a range of goods and benefits to coastal communities by supporting ecosystem functioning, food provisioning, and cultural values. However, they are at risk worldwide from anthropogenic activities, climate change impacts and limited resources, which hamper efforts to protect them. Effective conservation planning requires prioritisation of sites based on multiple factors, including their relative value and vulnerability (VU). The current study examines the efficacy of combining two well-established approaches – ecosystem service assessments and habitat VU analyses – to test a method for determining conservation priority for selected seagrass meadows in Southeast Asia. Seven seagrass meadows around Southeast Asia were selected and scored by the authors based on (1) the cumulative contribution of 12 ecosystem services (ES) and the condition of the meadows, (2) VU from 16 anthropogenic threats, which were each ranked against five factors (spatial scale, frequency, functional impact, resistance and recovery time) and (3) the combination of the two approaches to create a single numerical index. Prioritisation of sites differed when meadows were scored solely for the ES they provide, compared to how vulnerable they are to anthropogenic threats. The new combined analysis brought the two metrics together to give conservation priority to sites where management intervention will yield maximum conservation benefits from conservation effort, and resulted in the prioritisation of three sites: Barrang Lompo (Indonesia), Cape Bolinao (Philippines) and Beting Tanjung Kupang (Malaysia). This method is easy to use and does not require great technical expertise. It is also auditable, allowing for clear and transparent understanding of decision-making process.

scholarly journals Indonesia's globally significant seagrass meadows are under widespread threat

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leanne Cullen-Unsworth
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Land Reclamation ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Coastal Development ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Seagrass Meadows ◽  
Fisheries Resources ◽  
Expert Opinions ◽  
Indonesian Archipelago ◽  
Seagrass Ecosystems

Indonesia's marine ecosystems form a fundamental part of the world's natural heritage, representing a global maxima of marine biodiversity and supporting the world's second largest production of seafood. Seagrasses are a key part of that support. In the absence of empirical data we present evidence from expert opinions as to the state of Indonesia's seagrass ecosystems, their support for ecosystem services, with a focus on fisheries, and the damaging activities that threaten their existence. We further draw on expert opinion to elicit potential solutions to prevent further loss. Seagrasses and the ecosystem services they support across the Indonesian archipelago are in a critical state of decline. Declining seagrass health is the result of shifting environmental conditions due largely to coastal development, land reclamation, and deforestation, as well as seaweed farming, overfishing and garbage dumping. In particular, we also describe the declining state of the fisheries resources that seagrass meadows support. The perilous state of Indonesia's seagrasses will compromise their resilience to climate change and result in a loss of their high ecosystem service value. Community supported management initiatives provide one mechanism for seagrass protection. Exemplars highlight the need for increased local level autonomy for the management of marine resources, opening up opportunities for incentive type conservation schemes.

scholarly journals Literature Synthesis for Assessment and Management of Seagrasses

2019 ◽  
pp. 67-76
Author(s):  
Cherry C. Favor
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Economic Valuation ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Marine Habitat ◽  
Seagrass Meadows ◽  
Ecological Importance

This paper collates seagrass studies from 2008- 2017. The focus of review is on the studies conducted in Philippines and in some areas of world in relation to this dynamic and most productive marine ecosystem the seagrass meadows. The review reveals that there is an abundance in diversity, distribution and cover of seagrass in different parts of the country, wherein articles written in other part of the world provides data and information on physical, biological and economic importance of Seagrass in the human lives. The cause of its destruction was found out to be mostly anthropogenic activities. Limitations on the conducted studies in the Philippines was shown as reflected in the collected studies that are generally done along the coastal areas in the Visayas and Mindanao regions. Which practically shows an opportunity to explore different places in Luzon for an assessment of Seagrass for its ecosystem resiliency, stability, management and sustainability. Foreign studies included in the review reflects studies on assessment of biophysical characteristics of the seagrasses with the use of modern technologies like remote sensing and management practices that illustrates market value of ecosystem services of seagrass meadows on its application for some small-scale fisheries. Knowledge gap on socio-ecological importance of seagrasses, economic valuation of this marine habitat ecosystem services and wake up call for policy maker to consider seagrasses in their proposal for management shift of this ecologically significant habitat are topics needing further investigations.

scholarly journals Assessment of seagrass communities in the northern Gulf of Aqaba: Mapping their distribution

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gidon Winters ◽  
Rachamim Shem Tov ◽  
Tal Elmaliach ◽  
Dor Edelist ◽  
Gil Rilov
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Gulf Of Aqaba ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Seagrass Meadows ◽  
Seagrass Cover ◽  
Data Points ◽  
Scientific Attention ◽  
Conservation And Management

Within the Gulf of Aqaba, coral reefs have been considered the dominating ecosystem, attracting not only scientific attention, but also restoration efforts, aquarium exhibits and outreach educational programs. Seagrasses, which are known worldwide as a highly important ecosystem, have not received much attention by the public, scientists or authorities involved in conservation and management in this region. This is surprising considering the value of ecosystem services associated with seagarsses and the fact that many of these services are important to adjacent coral reefs. The absence of comprehensive seagrass maps for this region, prohibits other downstream activities such as evaluations of the associated ecosystem services and implementation of potential conservation and management tools. Here we present efforts to map seagrass meadows along the Israeli coast of the northern Gulf of Aqaba. Mapping was done by snorkeling with a GPS and a handheld echo-sounder. Transects perpendicular to the shore were conducted with measurements taken every 10-20 m that included water depth, GPS position and percent of seagrass cover estimated visually up to 13-23 m depending on visibility. In addition to these transects, we also tracked the shallow boundary of the meadows parallel to shore, usually at 3-5 m depth. Both data sets were then fed into Arc-GIS to create an interpolated GIS layer. Out of 11 km available shoreline, we swam along 9.7 km and collected a total of 2830 data points. Seagrasses were found growing along 7.5 km of these shores, with seagrass meadows covering 707,000 sqm2.estimated to be worth = US$ 2,000,000 year-1 in associated ecosystem services. In addition to mapping the seagrass meadows themselvs, we also mapped the potential dangers to seagrasses in the region. Disturbances were ranked as low, medium or high according to severity and frequency. We expect that these maps (GIS layers) will allow us to not only understand the current distribution of seagrasses in the area, but also to develop a GIS-based tool that will improve our understanding of how changes in the Gulf could affect the cover and state of seagrasses, and thus improve conservation efforts in the region.

scholarly journals Economic mapping and assessment of Cymodocea nodosa meadows as nursery grounds for commercially important fish species. A case study in the Canary Islands

One Ecosystem ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrique Casas ◽  
Laura Martín-García ◽  
Francisco Otero-Ferrer ◽  
Fernando Tuya ◽  
Ricardo Haroun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Habitat Suitability ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Cymodocea Nodosa ◽  
Seagrass Meadows ◽  
Value Transfer ◽  
Suitability Maps ◽  
Commercially Important

Cymodocea nodosa seagrass meadows provide several socio-economically ecosystem services, including nurseries for numerous species of commercial interest. These seagrasses are experiencing a worldwide decline, with global loss rates approaching 5% per year, mainly related to coastal human activities. Cymodocea nodosa, the predominant seagrass in the Canary Archipelago (Spain), is also exposed to these threats, which could lead to habitat loss or even local disappearance. In this case study, we estimated the potential economic value of Cymodocea nodosa seagrass meadows for local fisheries at an archipelago scale. Habitat suitability maps were constructed using MAXENT 3.4.1, a software for modelling species distributions by applying a maximum entropy machine-learning method, from a set of environmental variables and presence and background records extracted from historical cartographies. This model allows characterising and assessing the C. nodosa habitat suitability, overcoming the implicit complexity derived from seasonal changes in this species highly dynamic meadows and using it as a first step for the mapping and assessment of ecosystem services. In a second step, value transfer methodologies were used, along with published economic valuations of commercially-interesting fish species related to C. nodosa meadows. We estimate that the potential monetary value of these species can add up to more than 3 million euros per year for the entire Archipelago. The simplicity of the proposed methodology facilitates its repeatability in other similar regions, using freely available data and hence, being suitable for data-scarce scenarios.

scholarly journals Assessment of seagrass communities in the northern Gulf of Aqaba: Mapping their distribution

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gidon Winters ◽  
Rachamim Shem Tov ◽  
Tal Elmaliach ◽  
Dor Edelist ◽  
Gil Rilov
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Gulf Of Aqaba ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Seagrass Meadows ◽  
Seagrass Cover ◽  
Data Points ◽  
Scientific Attention ◽  
Conservation And Management

Within the Gulf of Aqaba, coral reefs have been considered the dominating ecosystem, attracting not only scientific attention, but also restoration efforts, aquarium exhibits and outreach educational programs. Seagrasses, which are known worldwide as a highly important ecosystem, have not received much attention by the public, scientists or authorities involved in conservation and management in this region. This is surprising considering the value of ecosystem services associated with seagarsses and the fact that many of these services are important to adjacent coral reefs. The absence of comprehensive seagrass maps for this region, prohibits other downstream activities such as evaluations of the associated ecosystem services and implementation of potential conservation and management tools. Here we present efforts to map seagrass meadows along the Israeli coast of the northern Gulf of Aqaba. Mapping was done by snorkeling with a GPS and a handheld echo-sounder. Transects perpendicular to the shore were conducted with measurements taken every 10-20 m that included water depth, GPS position and percent of seagrass cover estimated visually up to 13-23 m depending on visibility. In addition to these transects, we also tracked the shallow boundary of the meadows parallel to shore, usually at 3-5 m depth. Both data sets were then fed into Arc-GIS to create an interpolated GIS layer. Out of 11 km available shoreline, we swam along 9.7 km and collected a total of 2830 data points. Seagrasses were found growing along 7.5 km of these shores, with seagrass meadows covering 707,000 sqm2.estimated to be worth = US$ 2,000,000 year-1 in associated ecosystem services. In addition to mapping the seagrass meadows themselvs, we also mapped the potential dangers to seagrasses in the region. Disturbances were ranked as low, medium or high according to severity and frequency. We expect that these maps (GIS layers) will allow us to not only understand the current distribution of seagrasses in the area, but also to develop a GIS-based tool that will improve our understanding of how changes in the Gulf could affect the cover and state of seagrasses, and thus improve conservation efforts in the region.

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