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Current marine protected areas conserve nearly three quarters of environmentally and functionally unsafe species without protection, concludes a new assessment of the performance of the Finnish MPA network. Posted in Frontiers in Marine ScienceAccording to the study, marine protected areas had little knowledge of local marine biodiversity and that increasing the existing networks in the most ecologically relevant areas by only 1% could double the conservation of the most important species. In addition to identifying areas of high value for conservation, the methodology, which uses a unique new dataset of 140,000 samples, can also be used for ecosystem-based marine spatial planning and impact prevention. , including the location of wind infrastructure, aquaculture and other human activities. .
Marine ecosystems are facing an unprecedented loss of biodiversity due to habitat destruction, changing marine environments and increasing extraction of marine resources.
"This means that more than ever, protected areas are essential for maintaining marine ecosystems," says Elina Virtanen, senior author of the Finnish Institute for the Environment (SYKE) study, in a statement. Finland.
Marine Protected Areas, which may include estuaries, seas and oceans, preserve these natural resources from human activities. In Europe, EU Member States use the EU Habitats Directive to designate protected areas on the basis of a list of habitats and species judged to be safe. important for conservation.
In Finland, which has one of the most complex marine environments in the world, about 10% of the seas are currently protected. However, the assessment of the effectiveness of Finnish MPAs reveals that important parts of the ecosystem have still not been protected – with an average of only 27% of currently protected marine biodiversity .
So, how did this happen?
"The establishment of these protected sites has relied on some important habitats, such as lagoons, shallow bays and reefs, or the presence of seals or important bird areas, rather only on the knowledge of the underwater species present or the ecological value of these areas ", explains Virtanen. .
Although current marine protected areas serve to protect many important habitats, they pay too little attention to underwater nature, particularly to the economically important species. But as extensive protection coverage has already been put in place in the Finnish seas, clear evidence is needed for any changes to existing MPAs.
"It was therefore important to indicate the areas that are the most important hotspots for marine biodiversity," says Virtanen.
Researchers had access to nearly 140,000 recently collected data samples on species and habitat distributions, as well as data on human pressures and the marine environment. These data were entered into ecological distribution models to obtain a complete view of the current marine environment.
These distribution models were then applied to a spatial prioritization technique called Zonation, which classifies areas according to their ecological importance. This can be used to identify areas of high value for conservation.
"We found that an increase in the protected area of only 10% to 11% in areas with the highest biodiversity would double the conservation of the most ecologically important species," Virtanen said. "This means increased protection for rare and endangered species, species of functional importance and fish breeding areas."
The researchers point out however that increasing the number of protected areas is not the only way to preserve the integrity of the marine ecosystem. Human activities that threaten biodiversity can also be reallocated to areas of low biodiversity and conservation value through ecosystem-based marine spatial planning.
"We felt that it was also important to highlight the permitted uses of the sea, such as the extraction of seabed materials, aquaculture or wind energy," states Virtanen.
This means a great victory for the protection of the marine environment, as well as a cost-effective MPA designation method that can satisfy policy makers.
Provided sufficient data are available, the approach can be used globally to show that modest but targeted changes can have significant effects on the effectiveness of protected areas – and significantly stimulate the sustainable use of the sea.
"There is a need to re-evaluate the current boundaries of MPAs to ensure that they focus conservation efforts on the most valuable areas. ecological efficiency in the designation or extension of MPAs, "said Virtanen. "Thus, we will be able to ensure that marine protected areas achieve their overall conservation objectives in a meaningful and effective manner."
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Add the third dimension to marine conservation
More information:
Frontiers in Marine Science, DOI: 10.3389 / fmars.2018.00402, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2018.00402/full
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