Kelp forests are among the most valuable ecosystems on Earth, but they are increasingly being degraded and lost due to a range of human‐related stressors, leading to recent calls for their improved ...management and conservation. One of the primary tools to conserve marine species and biodiversity is the establishment of marine protected areas (MPAs). International commitments to protect 30% of the world's ecosystems are gaining momentum, offering a promising avenue to secure kelp forests into the Anthropocene. However, a clear understanding of the efficacy of MPAs for conserving kelp forests in a changing ocean is lacking. In this perspective, we question whether strengthened global protection will create meaningful conservation outcomes for kelp forests. We explore the benefits of MPAs for kelp conservation under a suite of different stressors, focusing on empirical evidence from protected kelp forests. We show that MPAs can be effective against some drivers of kelp loss (e.g., overgrazing, kelp harvesting), particularly when they are maintained in the long‐term and enforced as no‐take areas. There is also some evidence that MPAs can reduce impacts of climate change through building resilience in multi‐stressor situations. However, MPAs also often fail to provide protection against ocean warming, marine heatwaves, coastal darkening, and pollution, which have emerged as dominant drivers of kelp forest loss globally. Although well‐enforced MPAs should remain an important tool to protect kelp forests, successful kelp conservation will require implementing an additional suite of management solutions that target these accelerating threats.
The abundance, distribution and diet of the short‐beaked common dolphin were investigated as part of the first detailed study on cetacean populations in the North Aegean Sea. Since 2004, the area has ...been proposed by national and international entities as a marine protected area for common dolphins and other cetacean species owing to its high biodiversity.
Abundance and distribution were investigated between 2005 and 2013 through dedicated scientific marine transect surveys, covering 14,701 km, in sea conditions of Beaufort sea state 3 and below. The line‐transect sampling method was used to estimate relative abundance, using Distance 6.0 software. Encounter rate for this species in the study area was estimated to be 0.24 groups/100 km (1.5 dolphins/100 km), with a mean group size of 6.88 (SE = 1.90).
Common dolphin sightings were analysed for correlations with eight environmental variables (distance from the coast, depth, slope, median salinity, gradient of salinity, median temperature, gradient of temperature and mean current) using generalized additive modelling. Common dolphin sightings were significantly correlated to depth, temperature and salinity.
Stomach‐content analyses were performed on eight suitable samples from common dolphins stranded in the study area. The trophic level of the species was calculated, indicating that this species is a top predator.
This research provides the first estimates for abundance and distribution and the first diet analysis for this Mediterranean Endangered dolphin species in the study area based on a year‐round long‐term study.
Modeling is a useful approach to learn about the capacity of the systems to recover after disturbances. In October 2011, a submarine volcanic eruption in The Punta Restinga–Mar de Las Calmas Marine ...Protected Area (RMC-MPA) caused catastrophic mass mortality. We modeled the recovery dynamics of the fully protected (no-take zone), partially protected (buffer zone), and unprotected (fished zone) areas to evaluate their resilience and their potential to restore fishing resources. Recovery varied with species and levels of protection. Benthic macroalgae and parrotfish populations recovered the fastest. Piscivore fishes, macroinvertebrate feeders, and macroinvertebrate detritivores required more extended recovery periods. The levels of protection played a significant role in recovery, with the no-take zone showing more resilience than the buffer and fished zones. Our results suggest that no-take zones are crucial in the recovery process after catastrophic events. Regular monitoring of benthic communities provided the necessary data to model these communities and to point to the regulation of the artisanal fleet activity in restricted fishing areas as a mechanism to further enhance the recovery of fishing stocks.
•First Ecopath with Ecosim model of an MPA subject to a submarine volcanic eruption.•Higher trophic levels required more extended recovery periods.•The no-take areas are crucial in the recovery process after a catastrophic event.•The MPA design with several no-take areas assures an increase of resilience.
The abyssal demosponge Plenaster craigi inhabits the Clarion‐Clipperton Zone (CCZ) in the northeast Pacific, a region with abundant seafloor polymetallic nodules with potential mining interest. Since ...P. craigi is a very abundant encrusting sponge on nodules, understanding its genetic diversity and connectivity could provide important insights into extinction risks and design of marine protected areas. Our main aim was to assess the effectiveness of the Area of Particular Environmental Interest 6 (APEI‐6) as a potential genetic reservoir for three adjacent mining exploration contract areas (UK‐1A, UK‐1B and OMS‐1A). As in many other sponges, COI showed extremely low variability even for samples ~900 km apart. Conversely, the 168 individuals of P. craigi, genotyped for 11 microsatellite markers, provided strong genetic structure at large geographical scales not explained by isolation by distance (IBD). Interestingly, we detected molecular affinities between samples from APEI‐6 and UK‐1A, despite being separated ~800 km. Although our migration analysis inferred very little progeny dispersal of individuals between areas, the major differentiation of OMS‐1A from the other areas might be explained by the occurrence of predominantly northeasterly transport predicted by the HYCOM hydrodynamic model. Our study suggests that although APEI‐6 does serve a conservation role, with species connectivity to the exploration areas, it is on its own inadequate as a propagule source for P. craigi for the entire eastern portion of the CCZ. Our new data suggest that an APEI located to the east and/or the south of the UK‐1, OMS‐1, BGR, TOML and NORI areas would be highly valuable.
Connectivity is a fundamental process of population dynamics in marine ecosystems. In the last decade, with the emergence of new methods, combining different approaches to understand the patterns of ...connectivity among populations and their regulation has become increasingly feasible. The Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is characterized by complex oceanographic dynamics, where local conditions could act as barriers to population connectivity. Here, the notothenioid fish Harpagifer antarcticus, a demersal species with a complex life cycle (adults with poor swim capabilities and pelagic larvae), was used to assess connectivity along the WAP by combining biophysical modelling and population genomics methods. Both approaches showed congruent patterns. Areas of larvae retention and low potential connectivity, observed in the biophysical model output, coincide with four genetic groups within the WAP: (1) South Shetland Islands, (2) Bransfield Strait, (3) the central and (4) the southern area of WAP (Marguerite Bay). These genetic groups exhibited limited gene flow between them, consistent with local oceanographic conditions, which would represent barriers to larval dispersal. The joint effect of geographic distance and larval dispersal by ocean currents had a greater influence on the observed population structure than each variable evaluated separately. The combined effect of geographic distance and a complex oceanographic dynamic would be generating limited levels of population connectivity in the fish H. antarcticus along the WAP. Based on this, population connectivity estimations and priority areas for conservation were discussed, considering the marine protected area proposed for this threatened region of the Southern Ocean.
Climate change is redistributing terrestrial and marine biodiversity and altering fundamental ecological interactions. To conserve biodiversity and promote its long‐term persistence, protected areas ...should account for the ecological implications of species’ redistribution. Data paucity across many systems means that achieving this goal requires generic metrics that act as proxies for likely responses of multiple taxa to climate change. Climate velocity is one such metric, representing the potential speed and direction of species’ range shifts.
Here, we explore three approaches for incorporating climate velocity into the design of marine protected areas and demonstrate their application in the Mediterranean Sea. Our methods are designed to meet the climate‐smart adaptation strategy of protecting climate refugia by selecting slow‐moving climate velocity areas.
For our case study, we found that incorporating climate velocity as a cost measure in Marxan best selects slower moving areas, which are robust indicators of climate refugia. However, this approach is unable to accommodate socio‐economic cost data and is thus impractical. Incorporating climate velocity as a boundary or as a feature selects slower moving areas with a lower socio‐economic cost. We recommend incorporating velocity as a boundary, where possible because it is a more flexible approach. The boundary approach considers the climate velocity of all planning units, rather than being limited to a subjective classification of ‘slow‐moving’ planning units when treated as a feature. However, further assessment is required. For different planning scales and for grid structures other than squares, the relative performance of incorporating climate velocity as a boundary or as a feature might vary among case studies.
This work presents simple and practical ways of including climate velocity in conservation plans to achieve the key climate‐smart objective of protecting climate refugia, thereby enhancing ecological resilience. Our methods are widely applicable, encouraging researchers and practitioners to advance the field and deliver networks of climate‐smart protected areas by 2030.
Tropical forests are crucial for mitigating climate change, but many forests continue to be driven from carbon sinks to sources through human activities. To support more sustainable forest uses, we ...need to measure and monitor carbon stocks and emissions at high spatial and temporal resolution. We developed the first large-scale very high-resolution map of aboveground carbon stocks and emissions for the country of Peru by combining 6.7 million hectares of airborne LiDAR measurements of top-of-canopy height with thousands of Planet Dove satellite images into a random forest machine learning regression workflow, obtaining an R
of 0.70 and RMSE of 25.38 Mg C ha
for the nationwide estimation of aboveground carbon density (ACD). The diverse ecosystems of Peru harbor 6.928 Pg C, of which only 2.9 Pg C are found in protected areas or their buffers. We found significant carbon emissions between 2012 and 2017 in areas aggressively affected by oil palm and cacao plantations, agricultural and urban expansions or illegal gold mining. Creating such a cost-effective and spatially explicit indicators of aboveground carbon stocks and emissions for tropical countries will serve as a transformative tool to quantify the climate change mitigation services that forests provide.
Seagrass is an important natural attribute of 28 World Heritage (WH) properties. These WH seagrass habitats provide a wide range of services to adjacent ecosystems and human communities, and are one ...of the largest natural carbon sinks on the planet. Climate change is considered the greatest and fastest‐growing threat to natural WH properties and evidence of climate‐related impacts on seagrass habitats has been growing. The main objective of this study was to assess the vulnerability of WH seagrass habitats to location‐specific key climate stressors. Quantitative surveys of seagrass experts and site managers were used to assess exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity of WH seagrass habitats to climate stressors, following the Climate Vulnerability Index approach. Over half of WH seagrass habitats have high vulnerability to climate change, mainly from the long‐term increase in sea‐surface temperature and short‐term marine heatwaves. Potential impacts from climate change and certainty scores associated with them were higher than reported by a similar survey‐based study from 10 years prior, indicating a shift in stakeholder perspectives during the past decade. Additionally, seagrass experts' opinions on the cumulative impacts of climate and direct‐anthropogenic stressors revealed that high temperature in combination with high suspended sediments, eutrophication and hypoxia is likely to provoke a synergistic cumulative (negative) impact (p < .05). A key component contributing to the high vulnerability assessments was the low adaptive capacity; however, discrepancies between adaptive capacity scores and qualitative responses suggest that managers of WH seagrass habitats might not be adequately equipped to respond to climate change impacts. This thematic assessment provides valuable information to help prioritize conservation actions, monitoring activities and research in WH seagrass habitats. It also demonstrates the utility of a systematic framework to evaluate the vulnerability of thematic groups of protected areas that share a specific attribute.
This study examines the vulnerability of 28 World Heritage (WH) seagrass habitats. Employing the Climate Vulnerability Index, surveys of seagrass experts and site managers revealed that over half of WH seagrass habitats are highly vulnerable to climate change, primarily due to rising sea‐surface temperatures and marine heatwaves. Moreover, experts predict a synergistic cumulative impact from the combination of high temperature, suspended sediments, eutrophication, and hypoxia. The findings underscore the need for increased conservation efforts and enhanced climate adaptation strategies across WH seagrass habitats.
•The value of natural capital in a Mediterranean Marine Protected Area was assessed.•The emergy and eco-exergy accounting methods were applied.•Coralligenous and P. oceanica habitats showed the ...highest natural capital value.•Ecosystem services generated by Coralligenous and P. oceanica habitats were evaluated.
Healthy, resilient, and diverse marine ecosystems are capable of generating the biotic and abiotic components of natural capital stocks interacting and providing a bundle of ecosystem services vital to human well-being. Increasing pressures and impacts of human activities on marine ecosystems cause habitat degradation and biodiversity loss, and, as a consequence, seriously affect their capacity to provide benefits to humans. Integrated approaches capable of combining ecological and socioeconomic aspects are much needed to protect natural capital stocks and ensure the delivery of ecosystem services. In this context, marine protected areas (MPAs) are important tools for conserving biodiversity while promoting sustainable human activities. In this study, an interdisciplinary approach to the assessment of natural capital and ecosystem services in marine ecosystems was adopted. In particular, the emergy and eco-exergy accounting methods were jointly used to account for the biophysical value of natural capital stocks in the Mediterranean MPA “Punta Campanella”, located in Southern Italy. The assessment focused on four main macro-habitats: sciaphilic hard bottom (coralligenous bioconstructions), photophilic hard bottom, soft bottom, and Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds. The habitat Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds showed the highest value of eco-exergy density (3.58∙106 kJ m−2) while the highest value of emergy density resulted for the sciaphilic hard bottom habitat (4.94∙1012 sej m−2). The high eco-exergy value of Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds habitat is mainly due to the complex evolutionary history and high biomass density of the Posidonia oceanica seagrass. On the other hand, the high emergy value calculated for the sciaphilic hard bottom habitat reflects the high convergence of natural input flows for the generation of its biomass stocks and high biodiversity. In addition, to complement the biophysical assessment with an economic perspective, the emergy values of natural capital stocks were also converted into monetary units. The total value of natural capital stocks in the MPA resulted about 12 M€. Furthermore, a set of ecosystem services generated by Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds and Coralligenous bioconstructions was identified and their economic value was estimated (3.05 M€ and 0.62 M€, respectively). Finally, the value of natural capital and ecosystem services was also estimated by using a 3D bionomic map to consider the presence of Coralligenous bioconstructions and other habitats on cliffs characterizing the investigated MPA. This study highlighted the importance of Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds and Coralligenous bioconstructions in terms of both natural capital stocks and delivery of ecosystem services, confirming the need for their protection and conservation in marine and coastal management. The biophysical and economic values of natural capital stocks and ecosystem services, together with their spatial distribution in the MPA, can support local managers and policy makers in implementing and developing nature conservation strategies while ensuring the sustainable use of marine resources.
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