scholarly journals Comparing the Performance of Protected and Unprotected Areas in Conserving Freshwater Fish Abundance and Biodiversity in Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Andrew Sweke ◽  
Julius Michael Assam ◽  
Abdillahi Ismail Chande ◽  
Athanasio Stephano Mbonde ◽  
Magnus Mosha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Lake Tanganyika ◽  
Species Turnover ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Fish Abundance ◽  
Mahale Mountains National Park ◽  
Baseline Information ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
Management Approaches

Marine protected areas have been shown to conserve aquatic resources including fish, but few studies have been conducted of protected areas in freshwater environments. This is particularly true of Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania. To better conserve the lake’s biodiversity, an understanding of the role played by protected areas in conserving fish abundance and diversity is needed. Sampling of fish and environmental parameters was performed within the Mahale Mountains National Park (MMNP) and nearby unprotected areas at depths between 5 m and 10 m. Twelve replicates of fish sampling were performed at each site using gillnets set perpendicularly to the shore. Mann-Whitney tests were performed, and the total amount of species turnover was calculated. A total of 518 individual fish from 57 species were recorded in the survey. The fish weight abundance was fivefold greater in the MMNP than in the unprotected areas. Fish abundance and diversity were higher in the MMNP than in the unprotected areas and decreased with distance from it. Our findings confirmed the importance of the protected area in conserving fish resources in Lake Tanganyika. The study provides baseline information for management of the resources and guiding future studies in the lake and other related ecosystems. Management approaches that foster awareness and engage with communities surrounding the MMNP are recommended for successful conservation of the resources in the region.

scholarly journals Habitat collapse due to overgrazing threatens turtle conservation in marine protected areas

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1777) ◽  
pp. 20132890 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjolijn J. A. Christianen ◽  
Peter M. J. Herman ◽  
Tjeerd J. Bouma ◽  
Leon P. M. Lamers ◽  
Marieke M. van Katwijk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Foraging Strategy ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Seagrass Habitat ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Protected Species ◽  
Prevailing Paradigm ◽  
Management Approaches ◽  
Imminent Threat

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are key tools for combatting the global overexploitation of endangered species. The prevailing paradigm is that MPAs are beneficial in helping to restore ecosystems to more ‘natural’ conditions. However, MPAs may have unintended negative effects when increasing densities of protected species exert destructive effects on their habitat. Here, we report on severe seagrass degradation in a decade-old MPA where hyper-abundant green turtles adopted a previously undescribed below-ground foraging strategy. By digging for and consuming rhizomes and roots, turtles create abundant bare gaps, thereby enhancing erosion and reducing seagrass regrowth. A fully parametrized model reveals that the ecosystem is approaching a tipping point, where consumption overwhelms regrowth, which could potentially lead to complete collapse of the seagrass habitat. Seagrass recovery will not ensue unless turtle density is reduced to nearly zero, eliminating the MPA's value as a turtle reserve. Our results reveal an unrecognized, yet imminent threat to MPAs, as sea turtle densities are increasing at major nesting sites and the decline of seagrass habitat forces turtles to concentrate on the remaining meadows inside reserves. This emphasizes the need for policy and management approaches that consider the interactions of protected species with their habitat.

scholarly journals Introduction: an empirical framework for deconstructing the realities of governing marine protected areas

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter JS Jones ◽  
Elizabeth M De Santo ◽  
Wanfei Qiu
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
International Workshop ◽  
Analysis Framework ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Governance Strategies ◽  
Management Approaches ◽  
Empirical Framework

Debates surrounding governance strategies for marine protected areas (MPAs) have to date largely focused on top-down, bottom-up or market-based approaches. Whilst co-management approaches for governing MPAs are widely accepted as a way forward for combining these three strategies, many interpretations of this concept exist and it is applied in many different ways in MPAs in different contexts. This study aimed to explore governance through a case-study approach based on a specifically developed empirical framework – the marine protected area governance (MPAG) analysis framework – to increase understanding of how to combine the three governance approaches. A dialogue with MPA practitioners in 20 case studies helped shape the MPAG analysis framework as it developed, and an international workshop was held on ‘Governing MPAs’, bringing the practitioners together to compare results and further develop the framework. This paper provides an overview of the topic and research methodology and briefly introduces the case studies further explored in this special issue

scholarly journals Strengths and limitations of before–after–control–impact analysis for testing the effects of marine protected areas on managed populations

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 1039-1051
Author(s):  
Lisa A Kerr ◽  
Jacob P Kritzer ◽  
Steven X Cadrin
Keyword(s):  
New England ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Management Strategy ◽  
Impact Analysis ◽  
Marine Resources ◽  
Focal Species ◽  
Management Objectives ◽  
Management Measures ◽  
Management Approaches

Abstract Marine protected areas (MPAs) are a common management strategy for conserving marine resources, but it can be challenging to evaluate their effectiveness for meeting management objectives. Measuring the effectiveness of MPAs is particularly challenging in dynamic and changing environments where other management approaches are simultaneously implemented. Before–after–control–impact (BACI) analysis is a tool that offers a simple and robust design for evaluating complex effects. However, design and interpretation of a BACI analysis is not always straightforward. The goal of this study was to explore the potential for BACI to evaluate MPA performance in a system simultaneously impacted by other management measures and environmental change. We develop a typology of interpretations of BACI results based on the main and interaction effects of the model, categorized by the extent to which dynamics inside and outside of the MPA are independent. Furthermore, we examine how decisions about the spatial and temporal design of the study, and the focal species and response variables, can determine which outcomes from within the typology are evident through BACI applications to New England groundfish area closures. We identify strengths and limitations of the BACI approach and demonstrate that BACI is a valuable but imperfect tool for evaluating MPAs.

scholarly journals A Practical Approach to Monitoring Marine Protected Areas: An Application to El Bajo Espíritu Santo Seamount Near La Paz, Mexico

Oceanography ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Héctor Villalobos ◽  
◽  
Juan Zwolinski ◽  
Carlos Godínez-Pérez ◽  
Violeta González-Máynez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Mixed Layer ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Gulf Of California ◽  
Reef Fishes ◽  
Practical Approach ◽  
Target Strength ◽  
Sustainable Resources ◽  
Underwater Cameras ◽  
Baseline Information

Worldwide, marine protected areas (MPAs) are increasingly created to protect and restore selected parts of the ocean and to enhance recreation, fishing, and sustainable resources. However, this process has outpaced the development and implementation of methods for assessing and monitoring these habitats. Here, we combine data from an echosounder, a conductivity-temperature-depth probe, and underwater cameras to efficiently survey El Bajo Espíritu Santo Seamount, located in the southwest Gulf of California, Mexico. Results include a bathymetric map detailing a ridge with three peaks; oceanographic profiles showing a 35 m deep mixed layer and anoxic conditions below 200 m; mean target strength estimates for Pacific creolefish, Paranthias colonus (–34.8 dB re 1 m2, for mean total length ~33 cm), and finescale triggerfish, Balistes polylepis (–39.8 dB re 1 m2, 38 cm); baseline estimates of biomass for both species (55.7 t, 95% CI = 30.3–81.2 t and 38.9 t, 95% CI = 21.1–56.6 t, respectively) found only in the oxygenated water near the top of the seamount; and indications that these reef fishes grazed on zooplankton in the mixed layer. We conclude that acoustic-optical sampling is a practical approach for obtaining baseline information on MPAs to efficiently monitor changes resulting from natural and anthropogenic processes.

No evidence of increased demersal fish abundance six years after creation of marine protected areas along the southeast United States Atlantic coast

2016 ◽  
Vol 92 (4) ◽  
pp. 447-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan M Bacheler ◽  
Christina M Schobernd ◽  
Stacey L Harter ◽  
Andrew W David ◽  
George R Sedberry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Atlantic Coast ◽  
Demersal Fish ◽  
Fish Abundance ◽  
Southeast United States

Ecosystem-Based Management and Marine Protected Areas

2019 ◽  
pp. 151-162
Author(s):  
Ray Hilborn ◽  
Ulrike Hilborn
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Fisheries Management ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Fish Abundance ◽  
Fishing Gear ◽  
Sustainable Yield ◽  
Comprehensive Strategy ◽  
Ecosystem Impacts ◽  
Ecosystem Based Management ◽  
Total Fish

Ecosystem-Based Management and Marine Protected Areas. Ecosystem-based management (EBM) can be seen as a comprehensive strategy that includes the concern about the sustainable yield of fish alongside the ecosystem impacts of fishing and the impacts of fisheries management on human communities. While preventing overfishing goes a long way toward reaching its objective, protecting sensitive habitats from damaging fishing gear and reducing or eliminating bycatch of birds, mammals, and turtles must be given their due importance. Consideration should also be given to the trophic knock-on effects of fishing for one species that may cause other species less or more abundant. Marine protected areas are still considered the magic key to EBM, but their impact on total fish abundance has rarely been evaluated.

scholarly journals Abundance and Diversity of Holothuroids in Shallow Habitats of the Northern Red Sea

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boaz Yuval ◽  
Lee Sudai ◽  
Yarden Ziv
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reefs ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Red Sea ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Common Species ◽  
Sea Cucumbers ◽  
Marine Habitats ◽  
Human Use ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
Northern Red Sea

Holothuroid sea cucumbers are vital members of Coral Reefs and associated marine habitats and provide vital ecological services. In the southern regions of the Red Sea their populations have been decimated by overfishing. The main objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that the northern part of the Red Sea serves as an ecological refuge for the species threatened farther to the south. Accordingly, populations of sea cucumbers in 4 shallow sites south of Eilat, Israel (29°33′00N 34°57′14E), were repeatedly surveyed from November 2013 to April 2014. Overall 11 species were observed in these shallow sites. Their abundance and diversity differed significantly between sites, but not temporally. In sites in marine protected areas, with an intact fringing reef, diversity was high, withHolothuria edulisandBohadschiasp. being the most common species. In areas with higher human use and characterized by rubble and scattered corals, diversity was low, andActinopyga bannwarthiwas the most common species. The observed abundance and diversity did not support the refuge hypothesis. These findings are discussed in relation to other surveys of abundance and diversity in similar habitats.

scholarly journals Seafloor mapping and cartography for the management of marine protected areas

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 120
Author(s):  
Manuel Meidinger ◽  
Markantonatou Vasiliki ◽  
Marcello Sano ◽  
Marco Palma ◽  
Massimo Ponti
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Spatial Data ◽  
Geographical Information Systems ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Local Scale ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Seafloor Mapping ◽  
Management Approaches

Geographical information systems (GIS) and diagnostic cartography have traditionally been shown to be useful tools for the application of ecosystem-based management (EBM). To date, bionomic and diagnostic cartographic approaches have been commonly used to support decision-making in the selection, zoning and management of marine protected areas (MPAs), with a range of practical tools developed for this purpose. In addition to these, new and emerging technologies have the potential for generating better information for scientists, managers and other stakeholders alike, such as underwater survey tools, three dimensional (3D) visualisation systems and interactive web platforms. These new methodologies allow taking into account the spatial heterogeneity and temporal variability of the marine environment, to be managed for conservation. This paper reviews emerging and innovative technologies for marine mapping and marine spatial planning with a special focus on their use in MPA management. These include the generation and use of benthic cartography, scientific visualisation of ecosystem analyses, web-based GIS platforms and their final use as decision-support tools. Seafloor mapping technology has been improved and become more affordable for local scale MPA management purposes. However, the lack of coherent local scale spatial data still remains an issue, limiting the power of diagnostic cartography analyses within MPAs. The proposed framework can improve the generation and dissemination of cartographic and visual data, and allow for management approaches based on scientific knowledge and EBM principles, taking into account stakeholders needs.

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