scholarly journals Models and indicators for assessing conservation and fisheries-related effects of marine protected areas

2008 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 765-779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique Pelletier ◽  
Joachim Claudet ◽  
Jocelyne Ferraris ◽  
Lisandro Benedetti-Cecchi ◽  
José Antonio Garcìa-Charton

Two kinds of approaches have been used for assessing conservation and fisheries-related effects of marine protected areas (MPAs): (i) statistical modelling based on field data and (ii) mathematical modelling quantifying the consequences of MPAs on the dynamics of populations, communities, and fisheries. Statistical models provide a diagnostic on the impact of MPAs on the ecosystem and resources; they are also needed for devising and assessing sampling designs for monitoring programs. Dynamic models enable exploration of the consequences of MPA designs and other management policies. We briefly review how each of these approaches has been implemented up to now in the literature and identify potential indicators of MPA effects that can be obtained from each approach to provide scientific advice for managers. Methodological gaps that impede the assessment of MPA effects and the construction of appropriate indicators are then discussed, and recent developments in this respect are presented. We finally propose ways to reconcile the two approaches based on their complementarity to derive suitable indicators to support decision making. In this respect, we suggest in addition that MPA managers should be associated from the beginning to the design and construction of indicators.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda K. Pettersen ◽  
Ezequiel M. Marzinelli ◽  
Peter Steinberg ◽  
Melinda A. Coleman

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 847-855
Author(s):  
Mariano J. Aznar

Abstract Spain has just declared a new marine protected area in the Mediterranean. This follows a protective trend taken by Spanish authorities during the last decades and has permitted Spain to honour its international compromises under the Convention on Biological Diversity. It contributes to a framework of protected areas established under conventional regimes such as OSPAR, RAMSAR or EU Natura 2000. The new area protects a ‘cetacean corridor’ and will be inscribed in the list of Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance under the Barcelona Convention regional framework.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
RAFAEL Almeida MAGRIS ◽  
Martinho Marta-Almeida ◽  
Jose Alberto Monteiro ◽  
Natalie Ban

Analysis that link hydrological processes with oceanographic dispersion offer a promising approach for assessing impacts of land-based activities on marine ecosystems. However, such an analysis has not yet been customised to quantify specific pressures from mining activities on marine biodiversity including those from spillages resulting from tailing dam failure. Here, using a Brazilian catchment in which a tailing dam collapsed (Doce river) as a case study, we provide a modelling approach to assess the impacts on key ecosystems and marine protected areas subjected to two exposure regimes: (i) a pulse disturbance event for the period 2015-2016, following the immediate release of sediments after dam burst, which witnessed an average increase of 88% in sediment exports; and (ii) a press disturbance phase for the period 2017-2029, when impacts are sustained over time by sediments along the river’s course. We integrated four components into impact assessments: hydrological modelling, coastal-circulation modelling, ecosystem mapping, and biological sensitivities. The results showed that pulse disturbance causes sharp increases in the amount of sediments entering the coastal area, exposing key sensitive ecosystems to pollution (e.g. rhodolith beds), highlighting an urgent need for developing restoration strategies for these areas. The intensity of impacts will diminish over time but the total area of sensitive ecosystems at risk are predicted to be enlarged. We determined monitoring and restoration priorities by evaluating and comparing the extent to which sensitive ecosystems within marine protected areas were exposed to disturbances. The information obtained in this study will allow the optimization of recovery efforts in the marine area affected, and valuation of ecosystem services lost.


2009 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans-Harald Hinrichsen ◽  
Gerd Kraus ◽  
Uwe Böttcher ◽  
Fritz Köster

Abstract Hinrichsen, H-H., Kraus, G., Böttcher, U., and Köster, F. 2009. Identifying eastern Baltic cod nursery grounds using hydrodynamic modelling: knowledge for the design of Marine Protected Areas. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 66: 101–108. Knowledge of the spatial and temporal distribution of juvenile cod is essential to closing the life cycle in population dynamic models, and it is a prerequisite for the design of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) aiming at the protection of juveniles. In this study, we use a hydrodynamic model to examine the spatial distribution of eastern Baltic cod larvae and early juveniles. The transport patterns of the larvae spawned at the three major spawning grounds in the central Baltic Sea were investigated by drift model simulations for the period 1979–2004. We analysed potential habitats for their suitability for juvenile settlement, i.e. the change from pelagic to demersal life. The results revealed a clear dependence of the probability for successful settling on wind-induced drift of larval cod, which is controlled by the local atmospheric conditions over the Baltic Sea. Furthermore, we found evidence that the final destinations of juvenile cod drift routes are affected by decadal climate variability. Application of the methodology to MPA design is discussed, e.g. identifying the overlap of areas with a high probability of successful juvenile cod settlement and regions of high fishing effort in small-meshed fisheries targeting sprat and herring.


2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (10) ◽  
pp. 2328-2339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnaud Grüss ◽  
Christopher R. Biggs ◽  
William D. Heyman ◽  
Brad Erisman

2001 ◽  
Vol 52 (8) ◽  
pp. 1567 ◽  
Author(s):  
David B. Eggleston ◽  
Craig P. Dahlgren

During 1999 we determined abundance and size frequency of the Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus, in various habitats within the ‘Lakes’ and ‘Marquesas’ regions (122 km2 ) of the Key West National Wildlife Refuge (KWNWR), USA, using visual surveys. We also assessed the relationship between lobster abundance and habitat characteristics. During July–August 2000, we quantified the impact of a two-day recreational fishing ‘miniseason’ in fished and nonfished areas within the KWNWR. Lobster density was highest in channels, followed by hard bottom and patch reefs. P. argus was rarely observed in sea-grass and never in mangrove prop-roots. Its density was related to density and volume of large sponges in channel habitats. Although channels represent only 0.06% of the study area, they provide abundant refuges and a likely corridor for migrating juveniles. The two-day fishing season reduced density of lobsters >7 cm CL by an average of 80% across several habitats, including three marine protected areas closed to fishing. The observed decline was probably due to fishing, because percent change in density was related to number of recreational boats anchored at a given site. Relatively small marine protected areas (30–150 ha) may therefore be too small to protect the population structure of P. argus adequately within the KWNWR.


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