Challenges in developing China's marine protected area system

Since the 1980s, there have been continuous increases in the coverage of marine protected areas (MPAs) in China, and a total of 158 MPAs have been declared. The MPA system in China is characterized by (1) decentralised designation and management with reduced control from the central government; (2) a dominance of de jure fully protected MPAs that are often implemented as de facto multiple-use areas; and (3) a lack of objective evaluation processes. To improve China's MPA system requires an appropriate integration of fully protected and multiple-use MPAs, and an approach that balances the advantages of top-down and bottom-up approaches.     

Ecological quality of some Tunisian coast and lagoon locations,by using benthic community parameters and biotic indices

Three Tunisian coastal and lagoon sites, variously affected by human activities, and differing according to their degree of communication with the sea, were studied. The total organic matter content and the granulometry of the sediment were measured and the macro-invertebrates were sampled and identified. Currently due to the lack of an efficient single biotic index for quality assessment, indications from these measurements can contribute to enrich our knowledge of the southern Mediterranean areas. Several biotic indices (AMBI, BENTIX, BOPA, BOPA modified, I2EC, ITI), most of which have been used in the context of the European Water Framework Directive, and some other structural parameters were used. The results show that the Bizerte lagoon, an almost closed area characterized mainly by extreme salinity/temperature and with a strong fluctuation of nutrients, appears biologically more impoverished. The Dkhila coast, which is more open to the sea, however, appears to be less dominated by the principal species. Biotic indices showed that the most polluted areas included the region exposed to urban inputs of Bizerte, the mouth of Hamdoun wadi and the harbour areas. In these locations, benthic macrofauna is dominated by opportunistic species like Capitella capitata, Scolelepis fuliginosa, Prionospio malmgreni, Polydora sp., Cirratulus cirratus and Cirriformia tentaculata. Other stations, which are farther from the sources of disturbance such as the mouths of the principal Wadis, the south of the Bizerte ship canal and the south of the Tunis bay, appear to be in good ecological condition and hosted a variety of sensitive species, Other stations were classified differently by the biotic indices used mainly because of the lack of a real inter-calibration of the various classification methodologies used by these indices.     

Systematic marine conservation planning in data-poor regions: Socioeconomic data is essential

Systematic planning for conservation is highly regarded but relies on spatially explicit data that are lacking in many areas of conservation concern. The decision support tool Marxan is applied to a reef system in the central Philippines where 30 marine protected areas (MPAs) have been established in communities without much use of biophysical data. The intent was to explore how Marxan might assist with the legally required expansion to protect 15% of marine waters, and how existing MPAs might affect that process. Results show that biophysical information alone did not provide much guidance in identifying patterns of conservation importance in areas where the data are poor. Socioeconomic data were needed to distinguish among possible areas for protection; but here, as elsewhere in marine environments, the availability of such data was very limited. In the final analysis, local knowledge and integrated understanding of socioeconomic realities may offer the best spatially explicit information. The 30 existing MPAs, which encompassed a small proportion of the reef system, did not limit future options in developing a suite of MPAs on a broader scale. Rather, they appeared to generate the support for MPAs that is obligatory for any larger zoning effort. In summary, establishing MPAs based on community-driven criteria has biological and social value, but efforts should be made to collect ecological and socioeconomic data to guide the continued creation of MPAs.     

Designation of marine protected areas in Belgium: A legal and ecological success?

In Belgium a long process (1999–2005) led to the designation of several marine protected areas (MPAs). In order to analyse the designation process, the ‘policy arrangement approach’ was used as an analytical tool. Attention was given to four dimensions (actors and coalitions, arguments, rules and resources). Particular attention was paid to the switch from an authoritative to a more deliberated policy style in reaction to conflicts with stakeholders. This switch in policy style contributed to a successful legal designation, but does not guarantee the best protection of marine biodiversity. This case study linked science (setting ecological goals) to policy (analysis of a policy process) and led to some more general conclusions on the designation of MPAs and the role of participation in this process.     

南海及其邻近海域SST系统的点概率密度谱特征

采用相空间点概率密度谱分析方法对南海及其邻近海域ＮＣＥＰｒｅａｎａｌｙｓｉｓＳＳＴ候平均资料进行了分析,发现南海与其邻近海域的ＳＳＴ系统的结构均具有混沌特征,南海与孟加拉湾ＳＳＴ系统的耦合谱分布几乎一致;年变化最显著,年际变化次之,季节内变化相对较弱。邻近西太平洋ＳＳＴ系统中的准３ａ耦合振荡相当显著。对于季节内振荡,西太平洋ＳＳＴ系统强于孟加拉湾和南海的ＳＳＴ系统。结果还表明季节内振荡（３０～６０ｄ）是一种耦合振荡。     

闽北近岸海域末次盛冰期古河道体系平面展布以及垂向反射特征

根据采集的3 500 km浅地层剖面资料,对闽北近岸海域末次盛冰期古河道体系的平面展布特征(宽度、深度变化特征)和垂向剖面反射特征(反射界面、层序内部反射特征)进行了详细的描述,系统地分析了研究区在末次盛冰期古河道体系的平面展布和古河道典型断面反射特征,初步推测了其起源及形成时的地质环境。结果表明：①研究区内存在一个古河道体系,结合当时古地形及地理位置综合分析,古河道分布与当时海底的地形变化大致对应,推测其中一条走向大致为EW向的古河道可能来源于闽江,另外一条走向为SN向的古河道可能来源于长江支流,具体起源尚待进一步探讨;②进一步验证了自末次盛冰期以来,研究区从发生海退裸露地表发育古河道到再次遭受海侵形成浅海环境的历史变迁。     

驯化水温及温升速率对三门湾三种虾蟹类热耐受性的影响

作者采用动态实验法与静态实验法相结合的方法,研究了三门湾脊尾白虾(Exopalaemon carinicauda)、口虾蛄(Oratosquilla oratoria)和日本(Charybdis japonica)在不同季节的基础水温即驯化水温(8~29℃)和温升速率(0.5~15.0℃/h)下的热耐受能力。结果表明,驯化水温和温升速率对各实验动物的热耐受性均有显著影响。实验动物的热耐受性与驯化水温总体上呈显著正相关,而温升速率对热耐受性的影响具有物种特异性,并受驯化水温制约;在不同驯化水温下,各实验动物的热耐受性随温升速率增大呈不同变化趋势。各实验动物的24 h高起始致死温度受驯化水温的影响显著,随着驯化水温从8℃升高到29℃,脊尾白虾、日本和口虾蛄的24hUILT50分别从24.2、34.6、24.9℃显著增大到35.3、37.4和34.4℃。结合3种实验动物的最大临界温度分析,它们的热耐受能力依次为:日本脊尾白虾口虾蛄。研究结果可为探究三门湾水域潜在的热污染状况及其生态环境效应提供科学依据。     

Seeing the ocean through the eyes of seabirds: A new path for marine conservation?

Seeing the ocean through the eyes of seabirds could help meet the challenges of managing common-pool marine resources both in protected and unprotected areas. First, seabirds are top-predators, exposed to all threats affecting the oceans, and this makes them ideal sentinel organisms for monitoring changes within marine ecosystems. Second, seabirds cross both ecological and political boundaries, and following their movements should help making interdependencies within and between marine ecosystems more visible. Third, seabirds are conspicuous and often charismatic animals, which interact differently with different groups of stakeholders and provide the opportunity to acknowledge and discuss each other's values and interests. In this paper, we present these research avenues using a seabirds’ view, for tackling marine conservation and management issues, and we give operational examples of implementation based on our work in the English Channel.     

From stormy seas to the doldrums: The challenges of navigating towards an ecologically coherent marine protected area network through England's Marine Conservation Zone process

There is an on-going process to establish Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) in England, to form part of a coherent and representative network of marine protected areas under national and EU legislation. From 2009 to 2011, the MCZ process included strong participatory elements. Four regional multi-sector stakeholder groups developed MCZ recommendations collaboratively, in line with ecological guidance provided by the Government's nature conservation advisers. This guidance was based on Government policy principles, including that MCZs should be designated based on ‘best available evidence’. This paper analyses the multi-dimensional conflicts that emerged within the stakeholder group in south-west England, which were magnified by uncertainty about future MCZ management. In September 2011, after working through these conflicts through trade-offs and negotiations, the stakeholder groups jointly recommended 127 MCZs to Government. The process subsequently shifted to a top-down approach, with further stakeholder engagement limited to bilateral consultation. There was a concurrent shift in policy, from a broad-scale network-level focus towards single-feature conservation. A lengthy series of evidence reviews concluded that the existing evidence at the time was insufficient to progress with the designation of most sites, marking a clear departure from the policy principle of proceeding with the designation of a representative network based on ‘best available evidence’, and effectively undermining the work carried out by stakeholder groups. Though MCZ designation was originally timetabled for 2012, in November 2013 just 27 of the recommended 127 MCZs were designated in a first tranche. At the time, no clear timetable was in place for subsequent tranches.     

中西太平洋金枪鱼围网高产渔区年间变化及其原因分析

金枪鱼类是中西太平洋海域重要的经济鱼种,其中鲣产量约占到总产量的50%。本研究利用1995-2010年16年的中西太平洋（20°S~20°N,120°E~155°W）鲣围网生产统计数据和Niño3.4海区（5°S~5°N,120°~170°W）海表温度异常数据,对这16年鲣产量最高的十大渔区（5°×5°）进行时空格局分析,讨论渔场分布差异及CPUE与ENSO指数的关系。结果表明:16年间十大作业渔区主要分布在5°S~5°N、130°~175°E区域,这十大渔区产量占总产量的比重达47.5%,其中5°S~0°、155°~160°E,0°~5°N、130°~135°E,0°~5°N、135°~140°E及5°S~0°、160°~165°E等4个渔区产量占高产渔区产量的比重均超过10%,是中西太平洋重要的鲣产区。高产渔区的分布受海表温度影响较大,在厄尔尼诺时期,高产渔区分布明显偏东,主要分布在155°~180°E海域;在拉尼娜时期,高产渔区分布明显偏西,主要分布在130°~160°E海域。