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.     

Perceptions of sub-seabed carbon dioxide storage in Scotland and implications for policy: A qualitative study

The geological storage of carbon dioxide (CO₂) offers notable potential, as part of larger carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) processes, to be a significant climate change mitigation technology. This paper challenges the argument often put forward that, due to the greater distances from centres of population, it will be ‘easier’ to garner public and stakeholder support for offshore CO₂ storage than onshore. Based on the results of research interviews carried out with stakeholders and informed publics in Scotland, challenges for public and stakeholder acceptance of sub-seabed CO₂ storage that may require further policy attention are identified. Whilst existing policy for sub-seabed CO₂ storage is cognisant of the need for societal engagement, it may be the case that these regulations may need further reinforcement to ensure future developments are able to address social acceptability issues as fully as possible. The value of taking into account social as well as physical characteristics at the site selection phase, the need for mechanisms to take seriously stakeholder conceptions of uncertainty, and the importance of extending social engagement beyond risk communication are discussed.     

Social impacts of a temperate fisheries closure: understanding stakeholders' views

The social dimensions of marine protected areas (MPAs) play an important role in MPA success, yet these social dimensions are little understood. We explore the social impacts arising from the establishment of an MPA using Lyme Bay (south west England) as a case study. Through a series of small group semi-structured interviews the social impacts experienced by fishermen (mobile and static gear), recreational users (divers and sea anglers) and recreation service providers (charter boat and dive businesses) were explored. The social impacts expressed varied according to activity in which the stakeholder group engaged. Negative themes included lengthening fishing trips, tension and conflict, fishermen identity, equity and uncertainty in the long-term. Positive themes included improved experiences for both commercial fishermen and recreational users, and expectations for long-term benefits. These impacts need to be understood because they influence stakeholder behaviour. Failure to interpret stakeholder responses may lead to poor decision-making and worsening stakeholder relations. These findings have implications for the success of the MPA in Lyme Bay, but also for the future network of marine conservation zones around the UK. Any assessment of MPA impacts must therefore identify social as well as economic and environmental change.     

Ten recommendations for advancing the assessment and management of non-indigenous species in marine ecosystems

The main objective of recent international legislative measures and policies concerning marine ecosystems is to ensure sustainable environmental management to maintain a good status for marine waters, habitats and resources, with the ultimate target of achieving an integrated ecosystem-based approach to management. Because bioinvasions pose significant threats to marine ecosystems and the goods and services these provide, non-indigenous species (NIS) are included in the more recent legislative documents. A major challenge for the scientific community is to translate the principles of the legislative directives into a realistic, integrated ecosystem-based approach and at the same time provide stakeholders with best practices for managing NIS. The aim of this paper, prepared by members of the Working Group on Introductions and Transfers of Marine Organisms (WGITMO) of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), is to provide guidance for the application of NIS related management in the European Union Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Ten recommendations, including NIS identification, standardization of sampling and data, indicators, propagule pressure and management issues are considered in this paper. While most of these suggestions were developed to improve the implementation of the MSFD, several may be more widely applicable.     

Securing the benefits: Linking ecology with marine planning policy to examine the potential of a network of Marine Protected Areas to support human wellbeing

In line with international commitments to secure human wellbeing via conservation, many nations have set deadlines to implement ecologically coherent networks of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). However, progress towards achieving these targets is slow. To influence the discourse on the societal need for MPA networks a matrix approach is used to determine the potential for conservation features within the UK proposed network of 127 MPAs to deliver beneficial ecosystem processes and services. The results suggest a non-uniform distribution of ecosystem services across the network, with the majority of MPAs containing conservation features with the potential to deliver ecosystem processes. Designation of the full recommended network of MPAs may provide a form of ecological insurance against further decline in the delivery of beneficial ecosystem services and may also contribute to wider ecological health by supporting broadscale ecological processes. Non designation of MPAs that contain low frequency of occurrence beneficial ecosystem processes or services could result in their loss. Given the uncertainty about the connections between ecological function and the delivery of beneficial ecosystem processes, conservation policy and management must consider an ecologically coherent MPA network to be a minimum spatial requirement to secure the future delivery of ecosystem services.     

Developing a co-management financing mechanism to enhance the financial sustainability of marine protected areas in Taiwan

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a cost-efficient and management-effective tool. Fishery Resource Conservation Zones (FRCZs) are one type of MPA in Taiwan, and they were designated to ensure the sustainability of fishery resources since 1976; however, government appropriations are the only financing source for FRCZs, leading to manpower and equipment shortages for FRCZ management. This study selected the Touching and Suao FRCZs in Yilan County of Taiwan as cases studies. To assess the feasibility of establishing a sustainable financing mechanism for MPAs, the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) was applied to examine respondents׳ willingness to pay (WTP) to setup a fund for FRCZ management. The empirical results indicated that approximately 90% of respondents would be willing to donate funding for MPAs, and the WTP per respondent is NT$586.51 (US$19.6). Thus, establishing an MPA fund is a feasible way to operate Taiwanese MPAs through a co-management framework involving the central government, local government, local communities and stakeholders. However, based on our empirical results, a co-management financing mechanism for MPAs should be established to ensure stable and diverse financing sources.     

Public engagement with marine climate change issues: (Re)framings,understandings and responses

Climate change impacts on marine environments have been somewhat neglected in climate change research, particularly with regard to their social dimensions and implications. This paper contributes to addressing this gap through presenting a UK focused mixed-method study of how publics frame, understand and respond to marine climate change-related issues. It draws on data from a large national survey of UK publics (N = 1,001), undertaken in January 2011 as part of a wider European survey, in conjunction with in-depth qualitative insights from a citizens’ panel with participants from the East Anglia region, UK. This reveals that discrete marine climate change impacts, as often framed in technical or institutional terms, were not the most immediate or significant issues for most respondents. Study participants tended to view these climate impacts ‘in context’, in situated ways, and as entangled with other issues relating to marine environments and their everyday lives. Whilst making connections with scientific knowledge on the subject, public understandings of marine climate impacts were mainly shaped by personal experience, the visibility and proximity of impacts, sense of personal risk and moral or equity-based arguments. In terms of responses, study participants prioritised climate change mitigation measures over adaptation, even in high-risk areas. We consider the implications of these insights for research and practices of public engagement on marine climate impacts specifically, and climate change more generally.     

副溶血性弧菌产耐热直接溶血毒素对黑色素瘤的抑制作用研究

为探讨耐热直接溶血毒素(Thermostabile direct hemolysin,TDH)在体内和体外对小鼠黑色素瘤细胞B16的抑制作用,本研究通过MTT法、克隆形成试验、凋亡试验、Caspase-8和Caspase-3的活性试验、线粒体膜电位的检测以及体内C57BL/6小鼠(Mus musculus)荷瘤实验,比较TDH作用于不同细胞的半抑制浓度(IC₅₀),评价TDH对小鼠黑色素瘤细胞B16的体内外抑制作用。结果发现:人结肠上皮细胞NCM460、人正常肝细胞LO2、人肝癌细胞SMMC-7721和小鼠黑色素瘤细胞B16在TDH处理24 h之后,细胞的半抑制质量浓度IC₅₀分别为151、118、54和48 μg/mL,正常细胞的IC₅₀高出癌细胞近2~3倍。当质量浓度低于20 μg/mL时,TDH以剂量依赖性的方式抑制B16细胞的克隆形成,6 mg/kg TDH在移植瘤模型中显著抑制体内肿瘤的生长(P<0.001)。流式细胞术和荧光试剂盒检测表明:20 μg/mL的TDH能诱导19.4%的B16细胞发生早期凋亡,并激活Caspase-8和Caspase-3,但不影响线粒体膜电位。TDH具有体内外的抗肿瘤活性,可能通过细胞表面的死亡受体介导的凋亡信号通路引起凋亡,从而发挥抗肿瘤作用。     

A Photo-elicitation Approach to Exploring the Place Meanings Ascribed by Campers to the Ningaloo Coastline,North-western Australia

Although there have been numerous studies of the meanings ascribed to terrestrial places, their applicability or otherwise to coastal and marine places has received limited attention. Through the process of photo-elicitation, the meanings ascribed to a remote coastal camping environment are examined, with the coastline of Ningaloo Marine Park in north-western Australia the focus for this study. Thirty participants were provided with digital cameras and the ascribed place meanings were explored when their photographs were discussed in subsequent in-depth interviews. Key meanings related to the physical environment providing opportunities for escape, participating in multiple marine-based activities, bonding with family and like-minded people, and offering a rewarding experience that makes everybody happy. This emergent meaning of ‘everybody's happy’ progresses the understanding of the affective elements of place, especially those realised by families and groups of friends. The paper traces important implications of this meaning, and provides a paradoxical perspective on isolation evident from the interviews, for managing coast-based recreation.     

Ecosystem services in practice: Challenges to real world implementation of ecosystem services across multiple landscapes – A critical review

Ecosystem services (ES) and ecosystem services assessment (ESA) have become common parlance in the environmental field. Scientists, policy-makers and activists have promoted the ES approach as a means of conveying the extent of threats to natural ecosystems with the goal of crafting socially acceptable and effective policy to address ecological threats and biodiversity conservation. Yet there are some significant challenges to wide acceptance of the ES approach which hinder its absorption into the mainstream geography literature. This paper reviews the historical development of the ES approach focusing on its relevance to applied geography at different stages of its development, describes the present state-of-the-art of ES, and synthesizes the results from several seminal papers and reports. I posit that there are two major stumbling blocks: 1) the difficulty of simplifying complexities between services so that statutory planning processes can incorporate the approach, and 2) the lack of cross-landscape assessment methods and examples. If we focus on the most immediately surmountable challenges to the ES approach much progress could be made in a short time. The subsequent and final substantive section of this review summaries these challenges and offers some suggestions for moving forward.