Quiet(er) marine protected areas

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN

卷:100

Article

Williams, Rob^1,2  Erbe, Christine³  Ashe, Erin^1,2  Clark, Christopher W.⁴ 

[1] Univ St Andrews, Scottish Oceans Inst, Sea Mammal Res Unit, St Andrews KY16 8LB, Fife, Scotland

[2] Oceans Initiat, Pearse Isl, BC V0N 1A0, Canada

[3] Curtin Univ, Ctr Marine Sci &Technol, Perth, WA 6102, Australia

[4] Cornell Univ, Bioacoust Res Program, Ithaca, NY 14850 USA

关键词: Cetacean;    Conservation;    Marine mammal;    Ocean noise;    Shipping;    Whale;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.09.012

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

A core task in endangered species conservation is identifying important habitats and managing human activities to mitigate threats. Many marine organisms, from invertebrates to fish to marine mammals, use acoustic cues to find food, avoid predators, choose mates, and navigate. Ocean noise can affect animal behavior and disrupt trophic linkages. Substantial potential exists for area-based management to reduce exposure of animals to chronic ocean noise. Incorporating noise into spatial planning (e.g., critical habitat designation or marine protected areas) may improve ecological integrity and promote ecological resilience to withstand additional stressors. Previous work identified areas with high ship noise requiring mitigation. This study introduces the concept of opportunity sites important habitats that experience low ship noise. Working with existing patterns in ocean noise and animal distribution will facilitate conservation gains while minimizing societal costs, by identifying opportunities to protect important wildlife habitats that happen to be quiet. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

【 授权许可】

Free