Key drivers of effectiveness in small marine protected areas

Key drivers of effectiveness in small marine protected areas Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a key management tool for the conservation of biodiversity and restoration of marine communities. While large, well-designed and enforced MPAs have been found to be effective, results from small MPAs vary. The Hawkesbury Shelf, a coastal bioregion in New South Wales, Australia, has ten small, near-shore MPAs known as Aquatic Reserves with a variety of protection levels from full no-take to partial protection. This study assessed the effectiveness of these MPAs and analysed how MPA age, size, protection level, wave exposure, habitat complexity, and large canopy-forming algal cover affected fish, invertebrate and benthic communities. We found aspect, protection level, complexity and algal canopy to be important predictors of communities in these MPAs. Most MPAs, however, were not effective in meeting their goals. Only full no-take protection (three out of ten MPAs) had a significant impact on fish assemblages. One no-take MPA—Cabbage Tree Bay—which is naturally sheltered from wave action and benefits from an active local community providing informal enforcement, accounted for most of the increased richness of large fish and increased biomass of targeted fish species. Our findings suggest that small MPAs can enhance biodiversity and biomass on a local scale but only if they have full no-take protection, are in sheltered locations with complex habitat, and have positive community involvement to engender support and stewardship. These results provide a baseline for robust assessment of the effectiveness of small MPAs and inform future management decisions and small MPA design in other locations. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Biodiversity and Conservation Springer Journals

Key drivers of effectiveness in small marine protected areas

26 pages
Read Article

Loading next page...
 
/lp/springer_journal/key-drivers-of-effectiveness-in-small-marine-protected-areas-HfDkI50hiS
Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © 2018 by Springer Science+Business Media B.V., part of Springer Nature
Subject
Life Sciences; Biodiversity; Ecology; Conservation Biology/Ecology; Climate Change/Climate Change Impacts
ISSN
0960-3115
eISSN
1572-9710
DOI
10.1007/s10531-018-1532-z
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a key management tool for the conservation of biodiversity and restoration of marine communities. While large, well-designed and enforced MPAs have been found to be effective, results from small MPAs vary. The Hawkesbury Shelf, a coastal bioregion in New South Wales, Australia, has ten small, near-shore MPAs known as Aquatic Reserves with a variety of protection levels from full no-take to partial protection. This study assessed the effectiveness of these MPAs and analysed how MPA age, size, protection level, wave exposure, habitat complexity, and large canopy-forming algal cover affected fish, invertebrate and benthic communities. We found aspect, protection level, complexity and algal canopy to be important predictors of communities in these MPAs. Most MPAs, however, were not effective in meeting their goals. Only full no-take protection (three out of ten MPAs) had a significant impact on fish assemblages. One no-take MPA—Cabbage Tree Bay—which is naturally sheltered from wave action and benefits from an active local community providing informal enforcement, accounted for most of the increased richness of large fish and increased biomass of targeted fish species. Our findings suggest that small MPAs can enhance biodiversity and biomass on a local scale but only if they have full no-take protection, are in sheltered locations with complex habitat, and have positive community involvement to engender support and stewardship. These results provide a baseline for robust assessment of the effectiveness of small MPAs and inform future management decisions and small MPA design in other locations.

Journal

Biodiversity and Conservation – Springer Journals

Published: Mar 6, 2018

References

  • Dangerous targets? Unresolved issues and ideological clashes around marine protected areas
    Agardy, T; Bridgewater, P; Crosby, MP; Day, J; Dayton, PK; Kenchington, R; Laffoley, D; McConney, P; Murray, PA; Parks, JE; Peau, L
  • Mind the gap: addressing the shortcomings of marine protected areas through large scale marine spatial planning
    Agardy, T; Sciara, GN; Christie, P
  • A standardised vocabulary for identifying benthic biota and substrata from underwater imagery: the CATAMI classification scheme
    Althaus, F; Hill, N; Ferrari, R; Edwards, L; Przeslawski, R; Schönberg, CH; Stuart-Smith, R; Barrett, N; Edgar, G; Colquhoun, J; Tran, M
  • Finding the right tool for benthic image analysis
    Ayroza, C; Hustache, J; Fagundes, L; Sumi, M; Ferrari, R
  • Decadal trends in marine reserves reveal differential rates of change in direct and indirect effects
    Babcock, RC; Shears, NT; Alcala, AC; Barrett, NS; Edgar, GJ; Lafferty, KD
  • Fifty years on: lessons from marine reserves in New Zealand and principles for a worldwide network
    Ballantine, B
  • Production of seaweeds in Northwestern Mediterranean marine communities: its relation with environmental factors
    Ballesteros, E
  • Changes in invertebrate and macroalgal populations in Tasmanian marine reserves in the decade following protection
    Barrett, NS; Buxton, CD; Edgar, GJ
  • Wave-sheltered embayments are recruitment hotspots for tropical fishes on temperate reefs
    Beck, HJ; Feary, DA; Nakamura, Y; Booth, DJ
  • Small marine protected areas in Fiji provide Refuge for reef fish assemblages, feeding groups, and corals
    Bonaldo, RM; Pires, MM; Junior, PRG; Hoey, AS; Hay, ME
  • Principles for the design of marine reserves
    Botsford, LW; Micheli, F; Hastings, A
  • Model selection and inference: a practical information-theoretic approach
    Burnham, KP; Anderson, DR
  • Community involvement in management for maintaining coral reef resilience and biodiversity in southern Caribbean marine protected areas
    Camargo, C; Maldonado, JH; Alvarado, E; Moreno-Sánchez, R; Mendoza, S; Manrique, N; Mogollón, A; Osorio, JD; Grajales, A; Sánchez, JA
  • The influence of herbivores on primary producers can vary spatially and interact with disturbance
    Carnell, PE; Keough, MJ
  • Correlation between habitat structure and a rocky reef fish assemblage in the southwest Mediterranean
    Charton, JAG; Ruzafa, AP
  • Change in marine communities: an approach to statistical analysis and interpretation
    Clarke, KR; Warwick, RM
  • Marine reserves: size and age do matter
    Claudet, J; Osenberg, CW; Benedetti-Cecchi, L; Domenici, P; García-Charton, JA; Pérez-Ruzafa, Á
  • Functional traits reveal early responses in marine reserves following protection from fishing
    Coleman, MA; Bates, AE; Stuart-Smith, RD; Malcolm, HA; Harasti, D; Jordan, A; Knott, NA; Edgar, GJ; Kelaher, BP
  • Long live marine reserves: a review of experiences and benefits
    Costello, MJ
  • Biodiversity conservation should focus on no-take Marine Reserves: 94% of marine protected areas allow fishing
    Costello, MJ; Ballantine, B
  • The value of spatial information in MPA network design
    Costello, C; Rassweiler, A; Siegel, D; Leo, G; Micheli, F; Rosenberg, A; Gaines, S
  • Wave energy and spatial variability in community structure of small cryptic coral reef fishes
    Depczynski, M; Bellwood, DR
  • Marine spatial planning advancing the ecosystem-based approach to coastal zone management: a review
    Domínguez-Tejo, E; Metternicht, G; Johnston, E; Hedge, L
  • Climate change impacts on marine ecosystems
    Doney, SC; Ruckelshaus, M; Duffy, JE; Barry, JP; Chan, F; English, CA; Galindo, HM; Grebmeier, JM; Hollowed, AB; Knowlton, N; Polovina, J
  • Applications of marine refugia to coastal fisheries management
    Dugan, JE; Davis, GE
  • An assessment of population responses of common inshore fishes and invertebrates following declaration of five Australian marine protected areas
    Edgar, GJ; Barrett, NS
  • Ecological effects of marine protected areas on rocky reef communities—a continental-scale analysis
    Edgar, GJ; Stuart-Smith, RD
  • Systematic global assessment of reef fish communities by the Reef Life Survey program
    Edgar, GJ; Stuart-Smith, RD
  • Biases associated with the use of underwater visual census techniques to quantify the density and size-structure of fish populations
    Edgar, GJ; Barrett, NS; Morton, AJ
  • Global conservation outcomes depend on marine protected areas with five key features
    Edgar, GJ; Stuart-Smith, RD; Willis, TJ; Kininmonth, S; Baker, SC; Banks, S; Barrett, NS; Becerro, MA; Bernard, AT; Berkhout, J; Buxton, CD
  • Killer whale predation on sea otters linking oceanic and nearshore ecosystems
    Estes, JA; Tinker, MT; Williams, TM; Doak, DF
  • Establishing representative no-take areas in the Great Barrier Reef: large-scale implementation of theory on marine protected areas
    Fernandes, L; Day, JON; Lewis, A; Slegers, S; Kerrigan, B; Breen, DAN; Cameron, D; Jago, B; Hall, J; Lowe, D; Innes, J
  • Quantifying the response of structural complexity and community composition to environmental change in marine communities
    Ferrari, R; Bryson, M; Bridge, TCL; Hustache, J; Williams, SB; Byrne, M; Figueira, WF
  • Habitat structural complexity metrics improve predictions of fish abundance and distribution
    Ferrari, R; Malcolm, H; Byrne, Jordan A; Shultz, A; Friedman, A; Williams, SB; Figueira, WF
  • Sea urchin barrens as alternative stable states of collapsed kelp ecosystems
    Filbee-Dexter, K; Scheibling, RE
  • Reexamining the science of marine protected areas: linking knowledge to action
    Fox, HE; Mascia, MB; Basurto, X; Costa, A; Glew, L; Heinemann, D; Karrer, LB; Lester, SE; Lombana, AV; Pomeroy, RS; Recchia, CA
  • Effects of habitat, wave exposure, and marine protected area status on coral reef fish assemblages in the Hawaiian archipelago
    Friedlander, AM; Brown, EK; Jokiel, PL; Smith, WR; Rodgers, KS
  • Wave exposure, swimming performance, and the structure of tropical and temperate reef fish assemblages
    Fulton, CJ; Bellwood, DR
  • Designing marine reserve networks for both conservation and fisheries management
    Gaines, SD; White, C; Carr, MH; Palumbi, SR
  • Ecological effects of full and partial protection in the crowded Mediterranean Sea: a regional meta-analysis
    Giakoumi, S; Scianna, C; Plass-Johnson, J; Micheli, F; Grorud-Colvert, K; Thiriet, P; Claudet, J; DiCarlo, G; Franco, A; Gaines, SD; Garcia-Charton, JA; Lubchenco, J; Reimer, J; Sala, E; Guidetti, P
  • The importance of structural complexity in coral reef ecosystems
    Graham, NAJ; Nash, KL
  • Designing marine reserves for fisheries management, biodiversity conservation, and climate change adaptation
    Green, AL; Fernandes, L; Almany, G; Abesamis, R; McLeod, E; Aliño, PM; White, AT; Salm, R; Tanzer, J; Pressey, RL
  • Italian marine reserve effectiveness: does enforcement matter?
    Guidetti, P; Milazzo, M; Bussotti, S; Molinari, A; Murenu, M; Pais, A; Spano, N; Balzano, R; Agardy, T; Boero, F; Carrada, G
  • Biotic and multi-scale abiotic controls of habitat quality: their effect on coral-reef fishes
    Harborne, AR; Mumby, PJ; Kennedy, EV; Ferrari, R
  • The effectiveness of different meso-scale rugosity metrics for predicting intra-habitat variation in coral-reef fish assemblages
    Harborne, AR; Mumby, PJ; Ferrari, R
  • Exposure to waves enhances the growth rate and nitrogen status of the giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera
    Hepburn, CD; Holborow, JD; Wing, SR; Frew, RD; Hurd, CL
  • Fishery consequences of marine reserves: short-term pain for longer-term gain
    Hopf, JK; Jones, GP; Williamson, DH; Connolly, SR
  • The area-independent effects of habitat complexity on biodiversity vary between regions
    Johnson, MP; Frost, NJ; Mosley, MW; Roberts, MF; Hawkins, SJ
  • Sydney Harbour: what we do and do not know about a highly diverse estuary
    Johnston, EL; Mayer-Pinto, M; Hutchings, PA; Marzinelli, EM; Ahyong, ST; Birch, G; Booth, DJ; Creese, RG; Doblin, MA; Figueira, W; Gribben, PE
  • Managing threats to the marine estate in New South Wales (Australia) to maximise community wellbeing
    Jordan, A; Fairfull, S; Creese, B
  • Conservation biology: beyond marine protected areas
    Kareiva, P
  • Changes in fish assemblages following the establishment of a network of no-take marine reserves and partially-protected areas
    Kelaher, BP; Coleman, MA; Broad, A; Rees, MJ; Jordan, A; Davis, AR
  • Fishing the line near marine reserves in single and multispecies fisheries
    Kellner, JB; Tetreault, I; Gaines, SD; Nisbet, RM
  • Humans as predators on rocky reefs in New South Wales, Australia
    Kingsford, MJ; Underwood, AJ; Kennelly, SJ
  • Seasonal inhibitory effects of marine plants on sea urchins: structuring communities the algal way
    Konar, B
  • Habitat complexity: approaches and future directions
    Kovalenko, KE; Thomaz, SM; Warfe, DM
  • Implications of fish home range size and relocation for marine reserve function
    Kramer, DL; Chapman, MR
  • Fishing for lobsters indirectly increases epidemics in sea urchins
    Lafferty, KD
  • Size isn’t everything: movements, home range, and habitat preferences of eastern blue gropers (Achoerodus viridis) demonstrate the efficacy of a small marine reserve
    Lee, KA; Huveneers, C; Macdonald, T; Harcourt, RG
  • Biological effects within no-take marine reserves: a global synthesis
    Lester, SE; Halpern, BS; Grorud-Colvert, K; Lubchenco, J; Ruttenberg, BI; Gaines, SD; Airamé, S; Warner, RR
  • Range expansion of a habitat-modifying species leads to loss of taxonomic diversity: a new and impoverished reef state
    Ling, SD
  • Incorporation of recreational fishing effort into design of marine protected areas
    Lynch, TP
  • The influence of structural complexity on fish–zooplankton interactions: a study using artificial submerged macrophytes
    Manatunge, J; Asaeda, T; Priyadarshana, T
  • Identification of conservation gaps and redesign of island marine protected areas
    Martín-García, L; Sangil, C; Brito, A; Barquín-Diez, J
  • Sydney Harbour: a review of anthropogenic impacts on the biodiversity and ecosystem function of one of the world’s largest natural harbours
    Mayer-Pinto, M; Johnston, EL; Hutchings, PA; Marzinelli, EM; Ahyong, ST; Birch, G; Booth, DJ; Creese, RG; Doblin, MA; Figueira, W; Gribben, PE
  • Putting marine sanctuaries into context: a comparison of estuary fish assemblages over multiple levels of protection and modification
    McKinley, AC; Ryan, L; Coleman, MA; Knott, NA; Clark, G; Taylor, MD; Johnston, EL
  • The coastal syndromes and hotspots on the coast
    Newton, A; Carruthers, TJ; Icely, J
  • Detection of alternative stable states in marinecommunities
    Petraitis, PS; Dudgeon, SR
  • Mixed-effects models in S and S-Plus
    Pinheiro, JC; Bates, DM
  • Trophic cascades in benthic marine ecosystems: lessons for fisheries and protected-area management
    Pinnegar, JK; Polunin, NVC; Francour, P; Badalamenti, F; Chemello, R; Harmelin-Vivien, ML; Hereu, B; Milazzo, M; Zabala, M; d’Anna, G; Pipitone, C
  • Wave disturbance overwhelms top-down and bottom-up control of primary production in California kelp forests
    Reed, DC; Rassweiler, A; Carr, MH; Cavanaugh, KC; Malone, DP; Siegel, DA
  • Abiotic surrogates for temperate rocky reef biodiversity: implications for marine protected areas
    Rees, MJ; Jordan, A; Price, OF; Coleman, MA; Davis, AR
  • Analyzing tables of statistical tests
    Rice, WR
  • Complex habitats may not always benefit prey: linking visual field with reef fish behavior and distribution
    Rilov, G; Figueira, WF; Lyman, SJ; Crowder, LB
  • Fully-protected marine reserves: a guide
    Roberts, C; Hawkins, JP
  • Long-term no-take marine reserve and benthic habitat effects on coral reef fishes
    Russ, GR; Miller, KI; Rizzari, JR; Alcala, AC
  • The past and present topology and structure of Mediterranean subtidal rocky-shore food webs
    Sala, E
  • Marine reserves demonstrate top-down control of community structure on temperate reefs
    Shears, NT; Babcock, RC
  • Wave climate of the Sydney region, an energetic and highly variable ocean wave regime
    Short, AD; Trenaman, NL
  • Influence of chronic, low-level hydrodynamic forces on subtidal community structure
    Siddon, CE; Witman, JD
  • The best available information—some case studies from NSW, Australia, of conservation-related management responses which impact on recreational fishers
    Smith, AK; Pollard, DA
  • Loss of native rocky reef biodiversity in Australian metropolitan embayments
    Stuart-Smith, RD; Edgar, GJ; Stuart-Smith, JF; Barrett, NS; Fowles, AE; Hill, NA; Cooper, AT; Myers, AP; Oh, ES; Pocklington, JB; Thomson, RJ
  • Assessing national biodiversity trends for rocky and coral reefs through the integration of citizen science and scientific monitoring programs
    Stuart-Smith, RD; Edgar, GJ; Barrett, NS; Bates, AE; Baker, SC; Bax, NJ; Becerro, MA; Berkhout, J; Blanchard, JL; Brock, DJ; Clark, GF
  • A brief guide to model selection, multimodel inference and model averaging in behavioural ecology using Akaike’s information criterion
    Symonds, MR; Moussalli, A
  • Movement and spawning migration patterns suggest small marine reserves can offer adequate protection for exploited emperorfishes
    Taylor, BM; Mills, JS
  • ggplot2
    Wickham, H
  • Protection of exploited fish in temperate regions: high density and biomass of snapper Pagrus auratus (Sparidae) in northern New Zealand marine reserves
    Willis, TJ; Millar, RB; Babcock, RC

You’re reading a free preview. Subscribe to read the entire article.

Try 2 weeks free now

DeepDyve is your
personal research library

It’s your single place to instantly
discover and read the research
that matters to you.

Enjoy affordable access to
over 18 million articles from more than
15,000 peer-reviewed journals.

All for just $49/month

Explore the DeepDyve Library

or browse the journals available

Search

Query the DeepDyve database, plus search all of PubMed and Google Scholar seamlessly

Organize

Save any article or search result from DeepDyve, PubMed, and Google Scholar... all in one place.

Access

Get unlimited, online access to over 18 million full-text articles from more than 15,000 scientific journals.

Your journals are on DeepDyve

Read from thousands of the leading scholarly journals from SpringerNature, Elsevier, Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford University Press and more.

All the latest content is available, no embargo periods.

See the journals in your area

DeepDyve

Freelancer

DeepDyve

Pro

Price

FREE

$49/month
$360/year

Save searches from
Google Scholar,
PubMed

Create folders to
organize your research

Export folders, citations

Read DeepDyve articles

Abstract access only

Unlimited access to over
18 million full-text articles

Print

20 pages / month

PDF Discount

20% off

Sign up
for free
Start 14 day
Free Trial