From principles to practice: a spatial approach to systematic conservation planning in the deep sea

Increases in the demand and price for industrial metals, combined with advances in technological capabilities have now made deep-sea mining more feasible and economically viable. In order to balance economic interests with the conservation of abyssal plain ecosystems, it is becoming increasingly important to develop a systematic approach to spatial management and zoning of the deep sea. Here, we describe an expert-driven systematic conservation planning process applied to inform science-based recommendations to the International Seabed Authority for a system of deep-sea marine protected areas (MPAs) to safeguard biodiversity and ecosystem function in an abyssal Pacific region targeted for nodule mining (e.g. the Clarion–Clipperton fracture zone, CCZ). Our use of geospatial analysis and expert opinion in forming the recommendations allowed us to stratify the proposed network by biophysical gradients, maximize the number of biologically unique seamounts within each subregion, and minimize socioeconomic impacts. The resulting proposal for an MPA network (nine replicate 400 × 400 km MPAs) covers 24% (1 440 000 km 2 ) of the total CCZ planning region and serves as example of swift and pre-emptive conservation planning across an unprecedented area in the deep sea. As pressure from resource extraction increases in the future, the scientific guiding principles outlined in this research can serve as a basis for collaborative international approaches to ocean management.

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Physical and hydrodynamic properties of deep sea mining-generated, abyssal sediment plumes in the Clarion Clipperton Fracture Zone (eastern-central Pacific)

Elem Sci Anth ◽

10.1525/elementa.343 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Benjamin Gillard ◽

Kaveh Purkiani ◽

Damianos Chatzievangelou ◽

Annemiek Vink ◽

Morten H. Iversen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fracture Zone ◽

Deep Sea ◽

Transport Model ◽

Dry Weight ◽

In Situ Tests ◽

Central Pacific ◽

Polymetallic Nodule ◽

Clipperton Fracture Zone ◽

Clarion Clipperton Fracture Zone ◽

Nodule Mining

The anthropogenic impact of polymetallic nodule harvesting in the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone is expected to strongly affect the benthic ecosystem. To predict the long-term, industrial-scale impact of nodule mining on the deep-sea environment and to improve the reliability of the sediment plume model, information about the specific characteristics of deep-sea particles is needed. Discharge simulations of mining-related fine-grained (median diameter ≈ 20 μm) sediment plumes at concentrations of 35–500 mg L–1 (dry weight) showed a propensity for rapid flocculation within 10 to 135 min, resulting in the formation of large aggregates up to 1100 μm in diameter. The results indicated that the discharge of elevated plume concentrations (500 mg L–1) under an increased shear rate (G ≥ 2.4 s–1) would result in improved efficiency of sediment flocculation. Furthermore, particle transport model results suggested that even under typical deep-sea flow conditions (G ≈ 0.1 s–1), rapid deposition of particles could be expected, which would restrict heavy sediment blanketing (several centimeters) to a smaller fall-out area near the source, unless subsequent flow events resuspended the sediments. Planning for in situ tests of these model projections is underway.

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Systematic Conservation Planning at an Ocean Basin Scale: Identifying a Viable Network of Deep-Sea Protected Areas in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean

Frontiers in Marine Science ◽

10.3389/fmars.2021.611358 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Magali Combes ◽

Sandrine Vaz ◽

Anthony Grehan ◽

Telmo Morato ◽

Sophie Arnaud-Haond ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fish Species ◽

North Atlantic ◽

Conservation Planning ◽

Deep Sea ◽

Demersal Fish ◽

Systematic Conservation Planning ◽

The North ◽

Basin Scale ◽

The North Atlantic ◽

Conservation Network

Designing conservation networks requires a well-structured framework for achieving essential objectives such as connectivity, replication or viability, and for considering local management and socioeconomic stakes. Although systematic conservation planning (SCP) approaches are increasingly used to inform such networks, their application remains challenging in large and poorly researched areas. This is especially the case in the deep sea, where SCP has rarely been applied, although growing awareness of the vulnerability of deep-sea ecosystems urges the implementation of conservation measures from local to international levels. This study aims to structure and evaluate a framework for SCP applicable to the deep sea, focusing on the identification of conservation priority networks for vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs), such as cold-water coral reefs, sponge grounds, or hydrothermal vents, and for key demersal fish species. Based on multi-objective prioritization, different conservation scenarios were investigated, allowing the impact of key elements such as connectivity and conservation cost to be evaluated. Our results show that continental margin slopes, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and deeper areas of large and productive shelves housing fishing grounds appeared as crucial zones for preserving the deep-sea biodiversity of the North Atlantic, and within the limitations imposed by the data available, of the Mediterranean. Using biologically-informed connectivity led to a more continuous and denser conservation network, without increasing the network size. Even when minimizing the overlap with socioeconomic activities, the inclusion of exploited areas was necessary to fulfil conservation objectives. Such areas included continental shelf fishing grounds for demersal fish species, and areas covered by deep-sea mining exploration contracts for hydrothermal vent communities. Covering 17% of the study area and protecting 55% of each feature on average, the identified priority network held a high conservation potential. However, these areas still suffer from poor protection, with 30% of them benefiting from some form of recognition and 11% only from protection against trawling. Integrating them into current marine spatial planning (MSP) discussions could foster the implementation of a basin-scale conservation network for the deep sea. Overall, this work established a framework for developing large-scale systematic planning, useful for managing Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ).

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Incorporating Established Conservation Networks into Freshwater Conservation Planning Results in More Workable Prioritizations

Frontiers in Environmental Science ◽

10.3389/fenvs.2020.515081 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Nicholas A. Sievert ◽

Craig P. Paukert ◽

Joanna B. Whittier

Keyword(s):

Conservation Planning ◽

Planning Process ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Systematic Conservation Planning ◽

Management Actions ◽

Habitat Integrity ◽

Conservation Actions ◽

Wadeable Streams ◽

Conservation Networks ◽

Blank Slate

Resources for addressing stream fish conservation issues are often limited and the stressors impacting fish continue to increase, so decision makers often rely on tools to prioritize locations for conservation actions. Because conservation networks already exist in many areas, incorporating these into the planning process can increase the ability of decision makers to carry out management actions. In this study we aim to identify priority areas within established networks to provide an approach which allows managers to focus efforts on the most valuable areas they control, while identifying areas outside of the network, which support species with minimal representation within the network, for acquisition or conservation partnerships. The goal of this approach is to prioritize sites to achieve high levels of species representation while also developing workable solutions. We applied a methodology incorporating established networks into a systematic conservation planning process for fish in temperate wadeable streams located in Missouri, USA. We compared how well species were represented in our approach with two commonly used alternatives: A blank slate approach which used the same systematic conservation planning technique but did not incorporate established networks, and a habitat integrity approach based solely on anthropogenic threat data. Relative to the blank slate approach, our approach required 210% more segments for representation of all species, and contained an average of 0.5 additional occurrences for the least well-represented species. Although the blank slate solution was more efficient in achieving species representation, 77% of segments in this solution were not already protected. This would likely pose a challenge for implementing conservation actions. Relative to habitat integrity-based priorities, our approach required only 38% of the number of stream segments to achieve representation of all species and contained an average of 5 additional occurrences of the least represented species, representing a substantial gain in representation. Incorporating established networks may allow managers to focus resources on areas with the greatest conservation value within established networks and to identify the most valuable areas complementary to the established networks, resulting in priorities which may be more actionable and effective than those developed by alternative approaches.

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Extent of impact of deep-sea nodule mining midwater plumes is influenced by sediment loading, turbulence and thresholds

Communications Earth & Environment ◽

10.1038/s43247-021-00213-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Carlos Muñoz-Royo ◽

Thomas Peacock ◽

Matthew H. Alford ◽

Jerome A. Smith ◽

Arnaud Le Boyer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fracture Zone ◽

Deep Sea ◽

Environmental Concern ◽

Field Studies ◽

Research Activity ◽

Polymetallic Nodule ◽

Commercial Scale ◽

Clipperton Fracture Zone ◽

Clarion Clipperton Fracture Zone ◽

Nodule Mining

AbstractDeep-sea polymetallic nodule mining research activity has substantially increased in recent years, but the expected level of environmental impact is still being established. One environmental concern is the discharge of a sediment plume into the midwater column. We performed a dedicated field study using sediment from the Clarion Clipperton Fracture Zone. The plume was monitored and tracked using both established and novel instrumentation, including acoustic and turbulence measurements. Our field studies reveal that modeling can reliably predict the properties of a midwater plume in the vicinity of the discharge and that sediment aggregation effects are not significant. The plume model is used to drive a numerical simulation of a commercial-scale operation in the Clarion Clipperton Fracture Zone. Key takeaways are that the scale of impact of the plume is notably influenced by the values of environmentally acceptable threshold levels, the quantity of discharged sediment, and the turbulent diffusivity in the Clarion Clipperton Fracture Zone.

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Systematic conservation planning in the eastern English Channel: comparing the Marxan and Zonation decision-support tools

ICES Journal of Marine Science ◽

10.1093/icesjms/fsr180 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 69 (1) ◽

pp. 75-83 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

Juliette Delavenne ◽

Kristian Metcalfe ◽

Robert J. Smith ◽

Sandrine Vaz ◽

Corinne S. Martin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Decision Support ◽

Conservation Planning ◽

Planning Process ◽

Marine Protected Area ◽

Wide Distribution ◽

Systematic Conservation Planning ◽

Decision Support Tools ◽

English Channel ◽

Priority Areas ◽

Support Tools

Abstract Delavenne, J., Metcalfe, K., Smith, R. J., Vaz, S., Martin, C. S., Dupuis, L., Coppin, F., and Carpentier, A. 2012. Systematic conservation planning in the eastern English Channel: comparing the Marxan and Zonation decision-support tools. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 69: 75–83. The systematic conservation approach is now commonly used for the design of efficient marine protected area (MPA) networks, and identifying these priority areas often involves using specific conservation-planning software. Several such software programmes have been developed in recent years, each differing in the underlying algorithms used. Here, an investigation is made into whether the choice of software influences the location of priority areas by comparing outputs from Marxan and Zonation, two widely used conservation-planning, decision-support tools. Using biological and socio-economic data from the eastern English Channel, outputs are compared and it is shown that the two software packages identified similar sets of priority areas, although the relatively wide distribution of habitat types and species considered offered much flexibility. Moreover, the similarity increased with increasing spatial constraint, especially when using real-world cost data, suggesting that the choice of cost metric has a greater influence on conservation-planning analyses than the choice of software. However, Marxan generally produced more efficient results and Zonation produced results with greater connectivity, so the most appropriate software package will depend on the overall goals of the MPA planning process.

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Systematic conservation planning and adaptive management

Koedoe ◽

10.4102/koedoe.v53i2.1029 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 53 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Stephen D. Holness ◽

Harry C. Biggs

Keyword(s):

Adaptive Management ◽

Conservation Planning ◽

Planning Process ◽

Management Approach ◽

Systematic Conservation Planning ◽

Complex Environment ◽

Functional Elements ◽

Adaptive Approach ◽

Conservation Actions ◽

Effective Conservation

This article argues that systematic conservation planning (SCP) is an intrinsic part of the adaptive management approach within SANParks and should not be seen as a separate or different initiative. SCP operates within a complex environment that requires a deliberately adaptive approach. The similarities in philosophy, structure and functional elements of the planning process and approach between adaptive management and SCP, as applied within SANParks, are highlighted. The article distils requirements for ensuring that SCP remains strategically adaptive in its approach.Conservation implication: A deliberately adaptive approach to SCP improves its effectiveness in guiding the implementation of conservation actions and is a requirement for effective conservation planning in a complex environment.

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Using Habitat Classification to Assess Representativity of a Protected Area Network in a Large, Data-Poor Area Targeted for Deep-Sea Mining

Frontiers in Marine Science ◽

10.3389/fmars.2020.558860 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

Author(s):

Kirsty A. McQuaid ◽

Martin J. Attrill ◽

Malcolm R. Clark ◽

Amber Cobley ◽

Adrian G. Glover ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Deep Sea ◽

Large Data ◽

Area Network ◽

Equatorial Pacific Ocean ◽

Environmental Correlates ◽

Polymetallic Nodule ◽

Organic Carbon Flux ◽

Habitat Classification ◽

Clarion Clipperton Fracture Zone ◽

Nodule Mining

Extractive activities in the ocean are expanding into the vast, poorly studied deep sea, with the consequence that environmental management decisions must be made for data-poor seafloor regions. Habitat classification can support marine spatial planning and inform decision-making processes in such areas. We present a regional, top–down, broad-scale, seafloor-habitat classification for the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCZ), an area targeted for future polymetallic nodule mining in abyssal waters in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. Our classification uses non-hierarchical, k-medoids clustering to combine environmental correlates of faunal distributions in the region. The classification uses topographic variables, particulate organic carbon flux to the seafloor, and is the first to use nodule abundance as a habitat variable. Twenty-four habitat classes are identified, with large expanses of abyssal plain and smaller classes with varying topography, food supply, and substrata. We then assess habitat representativity of the current network of protected areas (called Areas of Particular Environmental Interest) in the CCZ. Several habitat classes with high nodule abundance are common in mining exploration claims, but currently receive little to no protection in APEIs. There are several large unmanaged areas containing high nodule abundance on the periphery of the CCZ, as well as smaller unmanaged areas within the central CCZ, that could be considered for protection from mining to improve habitat representativity and safeguard regional biodiversity.

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RV SONNE Fahrtbericht/Cruise Report SO268 - Assessing the Impacts of Nodule Mining on the Deep-sea Environment: NoduleMonitoring, Manzanillo (Mexico) – Vancouver (Canada), 17.02. – 27.05.2019

10.3289/geomar_rep_ns_59_20 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Matthias Haeckel ◽

Peter Linke

Keyword(s):

Environmental Impacts ◽

Deep Sea ◽

Industrial Test ◽

Small Scale ◽

Second Phase ◽

Technical Problems ◽

Fully Integrated ◽

Polymetallic Nodules ◽

Clarion Clipperton Fracture Zone ◽

Nodule Mining

Cruise SO268 is fully integrated into the second phase of the European collaborative JPI-Oceans project MiningImpact and is designed to assess the environmental impacts of deep-sea mining of polymetallic nodules in the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCZ). In particular, the cruise aimed at conducting an independent scientific monitoring of the first industrial test of a pre-protoype nodule collector by the Belgian company DEME-GSR. The work includes collecting the required baseline data in the designated trial and reference sites in the Belgian and German contract areas, a quantification of the spatial and temporal spread of the produced sediment plume during the trials as well as a first assessment of the generated environmental impacts. However, during SO268 Leg 1 DEME-GSR informed us that the collector trials would not take place as scheduled due to unresolvable technical problems. Thus, we adjusted our work plan accordingly by implementing our backup plan. This involved conducting a small-scale sediment plume experiment with a small chain dredge to quantify the spatial and temporal dispersal of the suspended sediment particles, their concentration in the plume as well as the spatial footprint and thickness of the deposited sediment blanket on the seabed.

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