Evaluating the ecological effects of Mediterranean marine protected areas: habitat, scale and the natural variability of ecosystems

2000 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.A. GARCÍA CHARTON ◽  
I.D. WILLIAMS ◽  
A. PÉREZ RUZAFA ◽  
M. MILAZZO ◽  
R. CHEMELLO ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Natural Variability ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Nested Designs ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Habitat Scale ◽  
Physical Elements

The capability to detect and predict the responses of marine populations and communities to the establishment of marine protected areas (MPAs) depends on the ability to distinguish between the influences of management and natural variability due to the effects of factors other than protection. Thus, it is important to understand and quantify the magnitude and range of this natural variability at each scale of observation. Here we review the scale of responses of target populations and communities to protection within Mediterranean MPAs, against their ‘normal’ spatio-temporal heterogeneity, and compare those with documented cases from other temperate and tropical marine ecosystems. Additionally, we approach the problem of the relative importance of habitat structure, considered as a set of biological and physical elements of the seascape hierarchically arranged in space at multiple scales, to drive natural variability. We conclude that much more effort has to be made to characterize heterogeneity in relation to Mediterranean MPAs, and to quantify and explain relationships between target species and their habitats as sources of such variability. These studies should be based on sound sampling designs, which (1) generate long-term data sets, and would ideally (2) be based on a Mediterranean-wide comparison of a number of protected and unprotected localities, (3) be designed from a multi-scaled perspective, and (4) control for factors other than protection, in order to avoid their confounding effects. The need for appropriate spatial and temporal replication, nested designs and power analysis is advocated.

scholarly journals Potential changes in the connectivity of marine protected areas driven by extreme ocean warming

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luciana Shigihara Lima ◽  
Douglas Francisco Marcolino Gherardi ◽  
Luciano Ponzi Pezzi ◽  
Leilane Gonçalves dos Passos ◽  
Clarissa Akemi Kajiya Endo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Oceanic Islands ◽  
Ocean Warming ◽  
Surface Currents ◽  
Southwest Atlantic ◽  
Tropical Ocean ◽  
Regional Effects ◽  
Rcp 8.5

AbstractProjected future climate scenarios anticipate a warmer tropical ocean and changes in surface currents that will likely influence the survival of marine organisms and the connectivity of marine protected areas (MPAs) networks. We simulated the regional effects of climate change on the demographic connectivity of parrotfishes in nine MPAs in the South Atlantic through downscaling of the HadGEM2-ES Earth System Model running the RCP 8.5 greenhouse gas trajectory. Results indicate a tropicalization scenario over the tropical southwest Atlantic following an increase of sea surface temperature (SST) between 1.8 and 4.5 °C and changes in mean surface currents between − 0.6 to 0.5 m s−1 relative to present conditions. High mortality rates will reduce demographic connectivity and increase the isolation of oceanic islands. The simulation of organismal response to ocean warming shows that acclimation can significantly improve (p < 0.001) particle survival, promoting connectivity and tropicalization of MPAs, with potential impacts on their functional integrity and long-term resilience.

scholarly journals A New Long-Term Marine Biodiversity Monitoring Program for the Knowledge and Management in Marine Protected Areas of the Mexican Caribbean

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7814
Author(s):  
Susana Perera-Valderrama ◽  
Sergio Cerdeira-Estrada ◽  
Raúl Martell-Dubois ◽  
Laura Rosique-de la Cruz ◽  
Hansel Caballero-Aragón ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Observation System ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Biodiversity Monitoring ◽  
Marine Turtles ◽  
Mexican Caribbean

In the Mexican Caribbean, 15 marine protected areas (MPAs) have been established for managing and protecting marine ecosystems. These MPAs receive high anthropogenic pressure from coastal development, tourism, and fishing, all in synergy with climate change. To contribute to the MPAs’ effectiveness, it is necessary to provide a long-term observation system of the condition of marine ecosystems and species. Our study proposes the establishment of a new marine biodiversity monitoring program (MBMP) focusing on three MPAs of the Mexican Caribbean. Five conservation objects (COs) were defined (coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangroves, marine turtles, and sharks-rays) for their ecological relevance and the pressures they are facing. Coral reef, seagrass and mangroves have multiple biological, biogeochemical and physical interactions. Marine turtles are listed as endangered species, and the status of their populations is unknown in the marine area of the MPAs. Elasmobranchs play a key role as top and medium predators, and their populations have been poorly studied. Indicators were proposed for monitoring each CO. As a technological innovation, all information obtained from the MBMP will be uploaded to the Coastal Marine Information and Analysis System (SIMAR), a public, user-friendly and interactive web platform that allows for automatic data management and processing.

Long-Term Trends of Extra-Tropical Cyclones in the Extended ERA5 Reanalysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexia Karwat ◽  
Christian L. E. Franzke ◽  
Richard Blender
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Tropical Cyclones ◽  
Storm Track ◽  
Propagation Speed ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Natural Variability ◽  
Change Point Analysis ◽  
Systematic Change ◽  
Data Sets

&lt;p&gt;Long-term reanalysis data sets are needed to determine the natural variability of extra-tropical cyclone tracks and for the assessment of the response to global warming. Using a systematic change-point analysis we provide evidence that the pre-satellite ERA5 data of the Backward Extension (ERA5-BE, covering 1950-1978) is highly compatible with the standard ERA5 (1979-2021) data sets. We observe that the joint ERA5 data from 1950 to 2021 is consistent in all storm-related quantities, allowing long-term studies. Despite the high inter-annual variability, a trend analysis suggests that the intensity of extra-tropical cyclones has increased significantly in the Northern Hemisphere from 1950 to 2021. The propagation speed of extra-tropical cyclones has notably decreased and the North Atlantic cyclone track, in particular, has shifted northward. Furthermore, the number of North Pacific storms increased significantly; these storms exhibit longer life cycles and travel larger distances, while they also grow more slowly. From 1979 to 2021 we find increases in wind gusts and cyclone-related precipitation. The central geopotential height, a measure for storminess, has decreased in both storm track areas. The observed changes originating from potential changes in the atmospheric circulation are the result of natural variability and anthropogenic global warming. Future storm adaptation planning should consider the observed increase in storm-related impacts.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Reserves as tools for alleviating impacts of marine disease

2016 ◽  
Vol 371 (1689) ◽  
pp. 20150210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joleah B. Lamb ◽  
Amelia S. Wenger ◽  
Michelle J. Devlin ◽  
Daniela M. Ceccarelli ◽  
David H. Williamson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Coral Disease ◽  
Disease Prevalence ◽  
Run Off ◽  
One Year ◽  
Over Exploitation

Marine protected areas can prevent over-exploitation, but their effect on marine diseases is less clear. We examined how marine reserves can reduce diseases affecting reef-building corals following acute and chronic disturbances. One year after a severe tropical cyclone, corals inside reserves had sevenfold lower levels of disease than those in non-reserves. Similarly, disease prevalence was threefold lower on reserve reefs following chronic exposure to terrestrial run-off from a degraded river catchment, when exposure duration was below the long-term site average. Examination of 35 predictor variables indicated that lower levels of derelict fishing line and injured corals inside reserves were correlated with lower levels of coral disease in both case studies, signifying that successful disease mitigation occurs when activities that damage reefs are restricted. Conversely, reserves were ineffective in moderating disease when sites were exposed to higher than average levels of run-off, demonstrating that reductions in water quality undermine resilience afforded by reserve protection. In addition to implementing protected areas, we highlight that disease management efforts should also target improving water quality and limiting anthropogenic activities that cause injury.

scholarly journals The capacity to adapt?: communities in a changing climate, environment, and economy on the northern Andaman coast of Thailand

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Bennett ◽  
Philip Dearden ◽  
Alin Kadfak
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Environmental Degradation ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Coastal Communities ◽  
Economic Opportunities ◽  
Management Interventions ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

The health and productivity of marine ecosystems, habitats, and fisheries are deteriorating on the Andaman coast of Thailand. Because of their high dependence on natural resources and proximity to the ocean, coastal communities are particularly vulnerable to climate-induced changes in the marine environment. These communities must also adapt to the impacts of management interventions and conservation initiatives, including marine protected areas, which have livelihood implications. Further, communities on the Andaman coast are also experiencing a range of new economic opportunities associated in particular with tourism and agriculture. These complex and ongoing changes require integrated assessment of, and deliberate planning to increase, the adaptive capacity of communities so that they may respond to: (1) environmental degradation and fisheries declines through effective management interventions or conservation initiatives, (2) new economic opportunities to reduce dependence on fisheries, and (3) the increasing impacts of climate change. Our results are from a mixed methods study, which used surveys and interviews to examine multiple dimensions of the adaptive capacity of seven island communities near marine protected areas on the Andaman coast of Thailand. Results show that communities had low adaptive capacity with respect to environmental degradation and fisheries declines, and to management and conservation interventions, as well as uneven levels of adaptive capacity to economic opportunities. Though communities and households were experiencing the impacts of climate change, especially storm events, changing seasons and weather patterns, and erosion, they were reacting to these changes with limited knowledge of climate change per se. We recommend interventions, in the form of policies, programs, and actions, at multiple scales for increasing the adaptive capacity of Thailand’s coastal communities to change. The analytical and methodological approach used for examining adaptive capacity could be easily modified and applied to other contexts and locales.

scholarly journals Contribution of Marine Protected Areas in Fisheries Governance in South Mediterranean

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 156
Author(s):  
Said Chaouki CHAKOUR ◽  
Asma CHAKER
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Sustainable Management ◽  
Fisheries Governance ◽  
Conservation Projects ◽  
High Level ◽  
Social And Environmental Impacts

When studying fishing activities in south Mediterranean, particularly in Algeria, we face the particular case of coastal territory. The high dependence of human activities on marine territories and their resources is always related to the high level of conflicts, between fishing actors and other stakeholders, generated by some conservation projects. The aim of this paper is to highlight and illustrate the approach of MPAs (Marine Protected Areas) governance and their role in conserving biodiversity, in order to clarify their economic, social and environmental impacts on human activities such as fishing. This paper defends the flowing thesis: in the long term, protection could reduce conflicts, contribute to sustainable management of fisheries and improve the welfare of fishers’ community.

scholarly journals MARINE CAPTURE FISHERIES POLICY FORMULATION AND THE ROLE OF MARINE PROTECTED AREAS AS TOOL FOR FISHERIES MANAGEMENT IN INDONESIA

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 33-45
Author(s):  
D. G.R. Wiadnya ◽  
P. J. Mous ◽  
R. Djohani ◽  
M. V. Erdmann ◽  
A. Halim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Code Of Conduct ◽  
Fishing Effort ◽  
Policy Formulation ◽  
Maximum Sustainable Yield ◽  
Fish Stocks ◽  
Fisheries Policy

The FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries states that conservation and management decisions for fisheries should be based on the best scientific evidence available. Studies show that most of Indonesia's capture fisheries are either full or over-exploited. However, the fishery sector is still expected to contribute to the increase of Indonesia's GNP through an increase in total catches. Furthermore, the current practice of using catch-effort data and Maximum Sustainable Yield models to inform Indonesia’s fisheries policies is flawed, putting sustainability and long-term profitability of Indonesia's fisheries at risk. In this paper, the authors argue that to ensure the survival of Indonesia's fish stocks and fisheries: fisheries policy must shift from development-oriented management towards management for sustainability. Furthermore, fisheries managers must accept that 'untapped resources' may not exist or cannot be exploited profitably, and that any transfer of fishing effort between fishing grounds may contribute to collapse of local fisheries. Also, fisheries managers should change the management paradigm from MSY models to eco-system based management, wherein Marine Protected Areas should play an important role.

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