Accommodating Dynamic Oceanographic Processes and Pelagic Biodiversity in Marine Conservation Planning

PLoS One

Amanda T. Lombard¹  Robert L. Pressey²  Lynnath E. Beckley³  Alistair J. Hobday⁴  Samantha L. Petersen⁵  Carl D. van der Lingen⁶  Hugh P. Possingham⁶  Dagmar Merkle⁶  Jenny A. Huggett⁷  Hedley S. Grantham⁸  Janet C. Coetzee⁸  Anthony J. Richardson⁸  Edward T. Game⁹ 

[1] Botany Department, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, George, South Africa;Centre for Applications in Natural Resource Mathematics (CARM), School of Mathematics and Physics, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia;Climate Adaptation Flagship, CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, Cleveland, Australia;Climate Adaptation Flagship, CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, Hobart, Australia;Marine Research Institute, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa;Marine and Coastal Management, Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Rogge Bay, South Africa;School of Environmental Science, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Australia;The Ecology Centre and Centre for Applied Environmental Decision Analysis, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia;The Nature Conservancy, West End, Australia

关键词: Conservation science;    Fisheries;    Marine conservation;    Copepods;    Chlorophyll;    Seabirds;    Biodiversity;    Oceanography;   

DOI  :  10.1371/journal.pone.0016552

学科分类：医学（综合）

来源: Public Library of Science

【 摘 要 】

Pelagic ecosystems support a significant and vital component of the ocean's productivity and biodiversity. They are also heavily exploited and, as a result, are the focus of numerous spatial planning initiatives. Over the past decade, there has been increasing enthusiasm for protected areas as a tool for pelagic conservation, however, few have been implemented. Here we demonstrate an approach to plan protected areas that address the physical and biological dynamics typical of the pelagic realm. Specifically, we provide an example of an approach to planning protected areas that integrates pelagic and benthic conservation in the southern Benguela and Agulhas Bank ecosystems off South Africa. Our aim was to represent species of importance to fisheries and species of conservation concern within protected areas. In addition to representation, we ensured that protected areas were designed to consider pelagic dynamics, characterized from time-series data on key oceanographic processes, together with data on the abundance of small pelagic fishes. We found that, to have the highest likelihood of reaching conservation targets, protected area selection should be based on time-specific data rather than data averaged across time. More generally, we argue that innovative methods are needed to conserve ephemeral and dynamic pelagic biodiversity.

【 授权许可】

CC BY