Assessing the quality of data required to identify effective marine protected areas

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of currently available substrate data to designate marine reserves to meet conservation objectives. The case study site is Lyme Bay (approx. 2460 km²), in the western English Channel. An area of 240 km² in Lyme Bay was designated ‘closed to bottom dredging’ in July 2008 with the aim of protecting reefs which are an important habitat for Eunicella verrucosa (pink sea fan). The effects of using different substrate data resolution on the selection of sites to protect a range of biotopes using the Marxan package are determined. The effect of including a closed area on the efficiency of a marine reserve network is also investigated. Findings suggest that substrate data did not capture the biodiversity of the area and that using no data at all was equally effective. If low resolution data are all that are available then other options, such as expert opinion, or other data, such as activity use information could be used instead. Including a predefined closed area into the analysis led to an increase in area required to meet conservation goals using high resolution biotope data. It also increased the area of the reserve using the three substrate layers with no increase in protection for biotopes. This suggests that when designing networks of marine protected area sites, including current protected areas may be inefficient, resulting in larger areas being protected with no increased conservation of marine biodiversity. Policy makers must be prepared to adapt management in light of these findings and be aware of the shortcomings of the data available for use in marine conservation planning.     

Status of the marine protected area network across the English channel (La Manche): Cross-country similarities and differences in MPA designation,management and monitoring

Recent international policy developments require states to conserve at least 10% of coastal and marine areas by creating effectively managed and ecologically coherent networks of protected areas in the marine environment. In the framework of the PANACHE project, the current status of designation, management and monitoring of the network of marine protected areas (MPAs) of an important environmental, social and economic marine area: the English Channel (the Channel) was examined. Currently 224 MPAs exist belonging to 12 different designation categories and covering 17 440 km², or approximately 20.3% of the project area in the Channel. International protection targets in the marine environment are thus met at this regional scale, although the individual contributions of the UK and France are considerably different, with French MPAs accounting for nearly 80% of the total area protected. Differences between countries are also found regarding MPA designation categories (11 in France, 6 in the UK, 1 in the Channel Islands) and management structures (with more actors involved in the UK) and approach, whereas the monitoring techniques used are similar, although more standardised in the UK. Pending challenges include greater within-country and cross-country MPA designation, monitoring and management simplicity, integration and coordination as well as the assessment of management effectiveness and ecological coherence of the Channel network of MPAs.     

The first network of marine protected areas (MPAs) in the high seas: The process, the challenges and where next

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are increasingly being established to protect and rebuild coastal and marine ecosystems. However, while the high seas are increasingly subject to exploitation, globally few MPAs exist in areas beyond national jurisdiction. In 2010 a substantial step forward was made in the protection of high seas ecosystems with 286,200 km² of the North-East Atlantic established as six MPAs. Here a summary is presented of how the world's first network of high seas marine protected areas was created under the OSPAR Convention, the main challenges and a series of key lessons learned, aiming to highlight approaches that also may be effective for similar efforts in the future. It is concluded that the designation of these six MPAs is just the start of the process and to achieve ecological coherence and representativity in the North-East Atlantic, the network will have to be complemented over time by additional MPA sites.     

Review of marine recreational fisheries regulations in Argentina

The effects of recreational fishing on marine stocks and ecosystems have raised global concern in recent years. In Argentina, Southwest Atlantic, angling, netting and spearfishing of coastal bony fishes, sharks, rays and chimaeras are very popular pastime activities with more than 50 years of history. Despite the perceived traditional and economic relevance of these activities in the country, marine recreational fisheries were largely unregulated, and no official fisheries monitoring programs at the national level have been ever put in place. Except for a few particular systems for which some catch-and-effort data were collected by research institutions and non-governmental organizations, no comprehensive surveys aimed at describing the ecological, social or economic aspects of these fisheries have been made. Here, an updated review of the regulations in place for marine recreational fisheries along the Argentine coastline is presented. Of the five coastal provinces encompassing ca. 8400 km and about 20 latitude degrees (~36°S to 55°S) of coastline, only Buenos Aires province has a thorough legislation for its whole territory, which includes 15 protected areas. In the remaining provinces, the regulations for marine recreational fisheries are limited to a few protected areas (seven out of 37 coastal areas under provincial, national or shared jurisdiction). This lack of legislation encourages alleged recreational fishers to develop small-scale commercial fishing operations that are neither controlled nor monitored as such, contributing to the overexploitation of some key coastal stocks.     

海洋生物多样性保护空间规划分区体系构建及其在泉州湾的应用

基于海岸带综合管理的理念,通过海域生态环境敏感性评价与海域生物多样性保护重要性评价,综合利用地理相关分析法、空间叠置法等定性和定量分区相结合的方法进行海洋生物多样性保护空间规划分区划界,提出了海洋生物多样性保护空间规划分区体系,将规划区域划分为生物多样性重点保护区、生物多样性养护区和生物多样性保护重点监督区.以福建泉州湾为案例,应用海洋生物多样性保护空间规划分区体系,得出泉州湾生物多样性保护极重要地区是泉州湾河口湿地省级自然保护区,泉州湾生物多样性保护比较重要地区是晋江河口、洛阳江河口、晋江南岸地区及清源山.泉州湾海洋生物多样性保护空间规划分区方案共划定26个分区,包括生物多样性重点保护区3个,生物多样性养护区14个,生物多样性保护重点监督区9个.泉州湾的应用结果表明,本研究提出的海洋生物多样性保护空间规划分区体系具有一定的可行性和可操作性,可为泉州湾生物多样性保护管理提供重要科学依据.     

基于SPOT6遥感影像的滩涂湿地入侵种互花米草植株高度的反演研究

本文以SPOT6 高空间分辨率遥感影像为数据源,通过植被覆盖度和地上生物量两个参数进行滩涂湿地入侵种互花米草植株高度的估算研究。结果表明,三沙湾滩涂湿地互花米草植株高度平均值为2.04 m,以1~2 m和2~3 m植株为主要分布高度,分布面积分别为6.83 km2和10.31 km2,占研究区互花米草总面积的33.83%和51.06%,小于1 m和大于3 m的互花米草仅占9.26%和5.84%。估算值与真实值之间的均方根误差为0.204,绝对误差为0.04~0.37 m。该方法是对高空间分辨率光学影像应用研究的重要尝试,其反演方法具有较好的可行性,可较为准确的获取滩涂湿地植株高度信息。     

Long‐term spatial dynamics in vegetated seascapes: fragmentation and habitat loss in a human‐impacted subtropical lagoon

Vegetated coastal seascapes exhibit dynamic spatial patterning, some of which is directly linked to human coastal activities. Human activities (e.g. coastal development) have modified freshwater flow to marine environments, resulting in significant changes to submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) communities. Yet, very little is known about the spatially complex process of SAV habitat loss and fragmentation that affects ecosystem function. Using habitat mapping from aerial photography spanning 71 years (1938–2009) for Biscayne Bay (Florida, USA), we quantify both SAV habitat loss and fragmentation using a novel fragmentation index. To understand the influence of water management practices on SAV seascapes, habitat loss and fragmentation were compared between nearshore and offshore locations, as well as locations adjacent to and distant from canals that transport freshwater into the marine environment. Habitat loss and fragmentation were significantly higher along the shoreline compared with offshore seascapes. Nearshore habitats experienced a net loss of 3.31% of the total SAV mapped (2.57 km²) over the time series. While areas adjacent to canals had significantly higher SAV cover, they still experienced wide fluctuations in cover and fragmentation over time. All sites exhibited higher fragmentation in 2009 compared with 1938, with four sites exhibiting high fragmentation levels between the 1990s and 2000s. We demonstrate that freshwater inputs into coastal bays modify the amount of SAV and the fragmentation dynamics of SAV habitats. Spatial changes are greater close to shore and canals, indicating that these coastal developments have transformative impacts on vegetated habitats, with undetermined consequences for the provisioning of ecosystem goods and services.     

Coastal biodiversity management in Japanese satoumi

Evidence accumulates that better management of coastal biodiversity outside of protected areas will be necessary to halt current trends of depletion. Japanese satoumis are human-influenced coastal seas that are both productive and rich in biodiversity. Satoumi has gained interest within and outside Japan as a field-tested approach to conciliate sustainable ecosystem use and conservation of biodiversity. This paper provides a review of new reports on field implementation of satoumi in Japan. An analysis identifying key institutional features that foster satoumi is provided as well. A great variety of active conservation measures that do not rely on the exclusion of human influence to manage biodiversity are being assessed. Some are centuries-old, such as river basin forestry, some more recent such as seagrass transplants or artificial tidal flats. Crucial to their success are the involvement of local communities and the voluntary contribution of significant labour by ecosystem users, mostly fishers. These contributions from fishers’ communities are an internalisation of the costs of conservation by the economic activity that benefits from it. Rather than a cultural specificity, the latter appears to rest essentially on collective ownership of territorial use-rights, strong local collective structures that enforce the community's interest, and the availability of active conservation measures as options to contribute to biodiversity management through manual work in the ecosystem. It is argued that as the effectiveness of these approaches becomes demonstrated, they should be adequately accounted for in international agreements and targets for biodiversity conservation.     

海平面上升背景下的海岸带脆弱性评价——以东营市为例

海平面上升是全球海岸带区域面临的共同威胁。构建以地面高程、地面沉降速率、沟壑密度、地表坡度、人口密度、国内生产总值（Gross Domestic Product,GDP）密度、建筑密度和斑块密度为指标的脆弱性评价体系,利用层次分析（Analytic Hierarchy Process, AHP）法并采用海岸带脆弱性指数模型评价了海平面上升引起的山东东营市海岸带脆弱性状况。研究结果表明：轻度脆弱区和中度脆弱区分别为2 134.79 km²和1 967.61 km²,在评价区域中占比较大,约占评价区域的33.09%和30.50%;其次为重度脆弱区和低度脆弱区,面积分别为1 061.18 km²和891.80 km²,分别占评价区域的16.45%和13.82%;极度脆弱区面积最小,为396.31 km²,仅占评价区域的6.14%。东营市的县区中,东营区几乎完全被极度脆弱区与重度脆弱区覆盖,受海平面上升威胁最严重;广饶县也拥有较多的重度和极度脆弱区;河口区内部脆弱程度东高西低;垦利区脆弱度总体相对较低;利津县是脆弱程度最低的县区,辖区内绝大部分区域为低度或轻度脆弱区,没有重度或者极度脆弱的区域。东营市各地区可参考评估结果,有针对性地采取应对措施并在未来的经济发展与城区规划过程中充分考虑脆弱性评估的结果,适度规划海岸防护工程,为城市的可持续发展提供技术保障。     

“Living with our backs to the sea”: A critical analysis of marine and coastal governance in Guatemala

Guatemala's rich coastal and marine biodiversity provides essential ecosystem goods and services to local residents and the national economy through artisanal and commercial fisheries, aquaculture, port exports and, to a lesser extent, tourism. As in many other countries, national policies emphasise the significance of marine conservation and marine resources, primarily through implementing marine protected areas (MPAs). However, this assumes that governance, as reflected in legal, institutional and organizational frameworks, political capacity and human resources is sufficiently developed to ensure MPAs meet these goals. These issues are explored through presenting the first detailed analysis of coastal and marine governance in Guatemala. The research highlights a range of barriers to good governance which restrict the extent to which MPAs can function effectively. Recommendations are made which can capitalise upon the potential for locally managed marine areas as a means to facilitate the improved governance of coastal and marine resources in Guatemala.     

From Scotland to New Scotland: Constructing a sectoral marine plan for tidal energy for Nova Scotia

Competing usage of marine space has prompted several coastal nations to implement marine spatial planning (MSP). While progressive governments promote the deployment of renewable energy technologies (RETs) in order to meet renewable energy capacity and greenhouse gas emissions reductions targets, offshore RETs become another player operating within a finite and already stressed marine environment. This paper applies the sectoral MSP process employed by Scotland to the Nova Scotia context in order to draft a MSP for the province's tidal energy sector. Applicable legislation is reviewed in order to establish the regulatory authorities with powers to plan for both the marine development and ecosystem protection agendas. The scoping process identifies suitable resource areas based on the operational parameters of commercially viable tidal current turbines (TCTs), while the sustainability appraisal identifies areas of cultural, industry, ecological, and socioeconomic constraint and exclusion. Plan option areas emanating from the applied methodology demonstrated a 238.345 km² (98.1%) increase in suitable TCT deployment area than the marine renewable energy areas identified in Nova Scotia's Marine Renewable Energy Act which did not undertake such a methodology.     

Protected areas and coastal and ocean management in México

No explicit “integrated coastal and ocean management” policy or program has been formally instituted to manage coastal and marine issues in México. Nevertheless two existing environmental policy tools: ecological zoning programs and coastal and marine protected areas, which have incorporated interagency and multi-stakeholder participation within their design, are currently being used in lieu of such strategy. Coastal and marine protected areas in México are the result of independent initiatives taken over the last 75 years and as a group cannot be characterized as the result of a systematic approach. Nevertheless México's 55 coastal and marine protected areas currently with a valid legal decree, occupy 11,791,824 ha which represents 69% of Mexico's total protected area surface. Only 46% of these include marine ecosystems with a total of 3,577,527 ha with the remaining 8,216,194 ha consisting of coastal ecosystems. (See In press update.)     

东山湾污损生物生态研究

2008年9月-2009年8月在东山湾海域进行了污损生物周年挂板试验,共记录污损生物102种,以近岸暖水种为主,其中网纹藤壶(Amphibalanus reticulates)是该海域最具代表性的优势种,其他优势种还有裂片石莼(Ulva fasciata)、双列笔螅(Pennaria disticha)、纵条肌海葵(Haliplanella luciae)、僧帽牡蛎(Saccostrea cucullata)、变化短齿蛤(Brachidontes variabilis)、巴西地钩虾(Podocerus brasiliensis)、梳肢片钩虾(Elasmopus pecteniclus)、强壮板钩虾(Stenothoe valida)、长鳃麦秆虫(Caprella equilibra)和厦门华藻苔虫(Sinoflustra amoyensis)等。该海区污损生物全年均可附着,附着盛期在4-10月,月板的平均附着量(湿重)为979.43 g/m2,夏季可高达11 799.00 g/m2。污损生物群落多样性以夏季最高,冬季最低;随着试板浸海时间的延长,其上污损生物群落的多样性明显增加,且结构也趋于稳定。     

泉州湾污损生物生态研究

2001年12月—2002年11月在泉州湾海域进行了污损生物周年挂板试验,共记录污损生物112种,以近岸暖水种为主,其中长鳃麦秆虫(Caprella equilibra)和网纹藤壶(Amphibalanus reticulates)是该海域最具代表性的优势种,其次为裂片石莼(Ulva fasciata)、中胚花筒螅(Tubularia mesembryanthemum)、薮枝螅(Obeliasp.)、纵条矶海葵(Haliplanella luciae)、外伪角涡虫(Pseudoceros exoplatus)、柄涡虫(Stylochus sp.)、僧帽囊牡蛎(Saccostrea cucullata)、翡翠贻贝(Perna viridis)、巴西地钩虾(Podocerus brasiliensis)、强壮板钩虾(Stenothoe valida)、镰形叶钩虾(Jassa falcata)和角突麦秆虫(Caprella scaura)等种类。该海区污损生物全年均可附着,种类丰富且附着强度大,附着盛期在4—11月,月板、季板、半年板和周年板的平均附着生物量分别为2 624g/m2、5 309g/m2、6 210g/m2和8 247g/m2,夏季可达11 295g/m2。随着试板浸海时间的延长,试板上污损生物群落的多样性明显增加,且结构也趋于稳定。     

南麂列岛自然保护区海域红色裸甲藻赤潮及其成因分析

2002年9月16～19日南麂列岛海域发生3km2 红褐色赤潮 ,其原因种为红色裸甲藻(GymnodiniumsanguineumHirasaka) ,密度高达4.6×105 个/L。赤潮发生时伴随细菌的大量繁殖 ,江浙沿岸流所携带的营养物质是本次赤潮发生的基础 ,森拉克台风是本次赤潮的重要诱因。南麂海域的赤潮多发季节为4～5月份 ,9～11月份发生赤潮的可能性也较大 ,大沙岙、马祖岙和火岙等水体交换相对较弱的岙口为赤潮多发区。为保护南麂列岛国家级海洋自然保护区珍稀海洋贝藻资源 ,需协调好保护和开发之间日益尖锐的矛盾 ,控制养殖业的发展规模和游客的数量。     

News from the seabed – Geological characteristics and resource potential of deep-sea mineral resources

Marine minerals such as manganese nodules, Co-rich ferromanganese crusts, and seafloor massive sulfides are commonly seen as possible future resources that could potentially add to the global raw materials supply. At present, a proper assessment of these resources is not possible due to a severe lack of information regarding their size, distribution, and composition. It is clear, however, that manganese nodules and Co-rich ferromanganese crusts are a vast resource and mining them could have a profound impact on global metal markets, whereas the global resource potential of seafloor massive sulfides appears to be small. These deep-sea mineral commodities are formed by very different geological processes resulting in deposits with distinctly different characteristics. The geological boundary conditions also determine the size of any future mining operations and the area that will be affected by mining. Similarly, the sizes of the most favorable areas that need to be explored for a global resource assessment are also dependent on the geological environment. Size reaches 38 million km² for manganese nodules, while those for Co-rich crusts (1.7 million km²) and massive sulfides (3.2 million km²) are much smaller. Moreover, different commodities are more abundant in some jurisdictions than in others. While only 19% of the favorable area for manganese nodules lies within the Exclusive Economic Zone of coastal states or is covered by proposals for the extension of the continental shelf, 42% of the favorable areas for massive sulfides and 54% for Co-rich crusts are located in EEZs.     

Linking marine protected areas to integrated coastal and ocean management: A review of theory and practice

If managed in isolation, coastal and marine protected areas (MPAs) are vulnerable to natural resource development and exploitation occurring outside these areas—in particular, overfishing, alteration and destruction of habitats, and water pollution. Thus, protection of coastal and marine areas—of species, habitats, landscapes, and seascapes—should be integrated into spatial development strategies for larger areas, under the umbrella of integrated coastal and ocean management (ICM). This is typically easier said than done, since the actors involved in MPA networks and in ICM programs are often different, reflecting different cultures, networks of relationships, ministries, and goals and motivations.This article reviews the ecological, social and economic linkages between MPAs and the governance of broader ocean and coastal areas; sets forth nine guiding principles for managing MPAs within an ICM context; reviews work conducted under the Convention on Biological Diversity to operationalize the linkages between ICM and MPAs; and develops strategic guidance for addressing these linkages. The article ends with a call to bring together the diverse communities involved in marine protected areas, coastal and ocean management, and watershed management to collaborate in national-level ocean and coastal planning, including in the designation of networks of marine protected areas.     

中国温带海域新发现较大面积(大于0.5km2)海草床:Ⅱ声呐探 测技术在渤海唐山沿海海域发现中国面积最大的鳗草海草床

近些年来随着生境的破坏其分布面积急遽下降,较大面积连续分布的海草床已经非常少见。本研究首次将声呐探测技术应用到海草床时空分布特征的相关研究中,在河北唐山乐亭-曹妃甸沿海发现目前中国面积最大的鳗草(Zostera marina)海草床,海草床面积高达29.17 km~2,绘制了鳗草分布图和水深分布图,并对鳗草生物量和茎枝高度等基本生物学指标进行了调查。该发现极大丰富了中国海草数据库,并为鳗草的深入研究及保护提供了得天独厚的实验基地,也为周边海洋牧场的构建打下良好的基础。     

The potential for dive tourism led entrepreneurial marine protected areas in Curacao

Despite the successful establishment of marine protected areas in the Netherlands Antilles, such as Saba and Bonaire, government-led protection of the reefs surrounding Curacao has repeatedly failed. In the absence of effective state regulation, dive operations have taken de facto control over dive sites, establishing conservation through a range of private initiatives akin to what have been referred to as entrepreneurial marine protected areas (EMPAs). The paper analyses the potential of these EMPAs to regulate access and control to dive sites and good diver practices. Using data from interviews with key actors in the dive industry and a survey of tourist divers the paper shows that achieving an island wide system of EMPAs is dependent on issues related to ownership over the reef, geographical location, and market competition. The paper concludes that the viability of such a system is not only dependent on the dynamics of the local and international dive market, in which all actors pursue their own interests, but also on the establishment of meta-governance arrangements that can provide incentive-based oversight to the entrepreneurial conservation practices of dive operations.     

闽东近海游泳动物群落组成、资源量与生物多样性的时空格局研究

采用底拖网方法调查研究了闽东近海春季(5月)和秋季(10月)游泳动物群落组成、生物多样性、资源密度及时空分布格局等问题。调查中出现游泳动物70种(鱼类47种,甲壳类18种,头足类5种),隶属于15目40科64属,以鲈形目种类最多(25种)。鱼类是主要游泳动物群落,春季鱼类个体数和重量分别占总渔获的66.4%和72.3%,甲壳类分别占比33.4%和26.9%,头足类分别占比0.2%和0.8%;秋季,上述三个类群在总渔获中的占比分别为56.6%和60.4%、42.0%和37.8%以及1.4%和1.8%。春季优势种包括红狼牙虎鱼(Odontamblyopus rubicundus)、三疣梭子蟹(Portunus trituberculatus)、孔虎鱼(Trypauchen vagina)等10种,秋季优势种为龙头鱼(Harpadon nehereus)、三疣梭子蟹、六指马鲅(Polynemus sextarius)等7种;两个季节共有优势种包括三疣梭子蟹、日本 (Charybdis japonica)、龙头鱼、棘头梅童鱼(Collichthys lucidus)和六丝钝尾虎鱼(Amblychaeturichthys hexanema)5种。秋季的生物多样性指数和均匀度指数高于春季。春季平均资源密度为1013.7kg/km~2和10.2×10~4ind/km~2,高于秋季的平均值(899.0kg/km~2和6.6×10~4ind/km~2)。总体而言,鱼类是闽东近海主要的游泳动物类群,其资源密度从近岸向外海呈降低趋势,春季的资源密度高值出现在闽东外海中部水域,秋季高值则出现在南部的闽江口等水域;其春季的优势种种类多于秋季,存在一定程度季节性更替现象。