Accommodating dynamic oceanographic processes and pelagic biodiversity in marine conservation planning

Area of Science:

• Marine Ecology
• Oceanography
• Conservation Science

Background:

• Pelagic ecosystems are crucial for ocean productivity and biodiversity but face heavy exploitation.
• Spatial planning and marine protected areas (MPAs) are increasingly considered for pelagic conservation, yet implementation remains limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate an approach for planning pelagic protected areas that accounts for ecosystem dynamics.
• To integrate pelagic and benthic conservation strategies in the southern Benguela and Agulhas Bank ecosystems.
• To represent key fisheries and conservation-concern species within proposed protected areas.

Main Methods:

• Utilized time-series data on oceanographic processes and small pelagic fish abundance.
• Incorporated pelagic dynamics into protected area design.
• Focused on integrating pelagic and benthic conservation planning.

Main Results:

• Protected area selection based on time-specific data demonstrated a higher likelihood of achieving conservation targets compared to averaged data.
• The proposed approach successfully integrated pelagic and benthic conservation considerations.
• Demonstrated the importance of dynamic data for effective spatial planning.

Conclusions:

• Innovative methods are essential for conserving dynamic and ephemeral pelagic biodiversity.
• Time-specific data are critical for designing effective pelagic marine protected areas.
• Integrated pelagic-benthic conservation planning offers a robust framework for marine spatial planning.