Accommodating dynamic oceanographic processes and pelagic biodiversity in marine conservation planning

Grantham, HS, Game, ET, Lombard, AT, Hobday, AJ, Richardson, AJ, Beckley, LE, Pressey, RL, Huggett, JA, Coetzee, JC, van der Lingen, CD, Petersen, SL, Merkle, D and Possingham, HP (2011) Accommodating dynamic oceanographic processes and pelagic biodiversity in marine conservation planning. PLoS One, 6 2: e16552-1-e16552-16.


Author Grantham, HS
Game, ET
Lombard, AT
Hobday, AJ
Richardson, AJ
Beckley, LE
Pressey, RL
Huggett, JA
Coetzee, JC
van der Lingen, CD
Petersen, SL
Merkle, D
Possingham, HP
Title Accommodating dynamic oceanographic processes and pelagic biodiversity in marine conservation planning
Journal name PLoS One  (ERA 2012 Listed)    (ERA 2010 Rank A)   Check publisher's open access policy
Publication date 2011-02
Sub-type Article
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0016552
Volume number 6
Issue number 2
ISSN 1932-6203
Start page e16552-1
End page e16552-16
Total pages 16
Place of publication San Francisco, CA, U.S.A.
Publisher Public Library of Science
Collection year 2012
Language eng
Formatted 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.
Copyright: © 2011 Grantham et al. 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.
Q-Index Code C1
Q-Index Status Confirmed Code
Institutional Status UQ
Additional Notes Article number e16552, pp. 1-16.

Document type: Journal Article
Sub-type: Article
Collections: School of Mathematics and Physics
Official 2012 Collection
School of Biological Sciences Publications
 
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Created: Fri, 11 Feb 2011, 10:30:39 EST by Kay Mackie on behalf of School of Biological Sciences