Journal article
Accommodating dynamic oceanographic processes and pelagic biodiversity in marine conservation planning
PLoS ONE, Vol.6(2), e16552
2011
Abstract
Pelagic ecosystems support a significant and vital component of the ocean's productivity and biodiversity. They are also heavily exploited and, as a result, are the focus of numerous spatial planning initiatives. Over the past decade, there has been increasing enthusiasm for protected areas as a tool for pelagic conservation, however, few have been implemented. Here we demonstrate an approach to plan protected areas that address the physical and biological dynamics typical of the pelagic realm. Specifically, we provide an example of an approach to planning protected areas that integrates pelagic and benthic conservation in the southern Benguela and Agulhas Bank ecosystems off South Africa. Our aim was to represent species of importance to fisheries and species of conservation concern within protected areas. In addition to representation, we ensured that protected areas were designed to consider pelagic dynamics, characterized from time-series data on key oceanographic processes, together with data on the abundance of small pelagic fishes. We found that, to have the highest likelihood of reaching conservation targets, protected area selection should be based on time-specific data rather than data averaged across time. More generally, we argue that innovative methods are needed to conserve ephemeral and dynamic pelagic biodiversity.
Details
- Title
- Accommodating dynamic oceanographic processes and pelagic biodiversity in marine conservation planning
- Authors/Creators
- H.S. Grantham (Author/Creator) - The University of QueenslandE.T. Game (Author/Creator) - The Nature Conservancy, West End, AustraliaA.T. Lombard (Author/Creator) - Nelson Mandela UniversityA.J. Hobday (Author/Creator) - CSIRO Oceans and AtmosphereA.J. Richardson (Author/Creator) - The University of QueenslandL.E. Beckley (Author/Creator) - Murdoch UniversityR.L. Pressey (Author/Creator) - The University of QueenslandJ.A. Huggett (Author/Creator) - University of Cape TownJ.C. Coetzee (Author/Creator) - Department of Environmental Affairs and TourismC.D. van der Lingen (Author/Creator) - University of Cape TownS.L. Petersen (Author/Creator) - WWF Responsible Fisheries Programme, WWF South Africa, Cape Town, South AfricaD. Merkle (Author/Creator) - Department of Environmental Affairs and TourismH.P. Possingham (Author/Creator) - The University of Queensland
- Publication Details
- PLoS ONE, Vol.6(2), e16552
- Publisher
- Public Library of Science
- Identifiers
- 991005542443007891
- Copyright
- © 2011 Grantham et al.
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Environmental Science
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Note
- This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Citation topics
- 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
- 3.2 Marine Biology
- 3.2.92 Fisheries Ecology
- Web Of Science research areas
- Marine & Freshwater Biology
- ESI research areas
- Plant & Animal Science