Marine protected areas in southern China: Upgrading conservation effectiveness in the ‘eco‐civilization’ era

1. ensuring that marine systems are not overwhelmed within the new national jurisdiction, and maintaining and enhancing marine capacity;
2. increased resourcing, supported by comprehensive and systematic economic valuations of ecosystem goods and services and natural capital;
3. upgraded enforcement of existing environmental laws and regulations, combined with further refinement and development, especially around cumulative impact management;
4. a particular focus on major reduction in water pollution in all forms;
5. integration of marine management between Hong Kong SAR and surrounding Guangdong Province; and
6. enhanced community engagement, participation and education.
7. Finally, much greater, collaborative engagement by the international community with Chinese marine management and conservation would bring major, and very mutual, benefits.

     

Science,capacity building and conservation knowledge: The empowerment of the local community for marine conservation in Rapa Nui

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From one to ten: Canada's approach to achieving marine conservation targets

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Indigenous protected areas in Sea Country: Indigenous‐driven collaborative marine protected areas in Australia

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Science for conserving Amazon freshwater ecosystems

1. The Amazon Basin is being degraded at unprecedented rates, yet conservation efforts have implemented protected areas to curb deforestation, leaving freshwater ecosystems vulnerable to degradation. Amazon freshwater ecosystems are largely unprotected because a terrestrial bias has limited the ability of science to affect policy.
2. Overcoming this bias requires increasing exchange of information among stakeholders across the basin to raise awareness of threats to Amazon freshwater ecosystems and promote discussions and access to conservation solutions. To help address this need, this Special Issue collates 15 synthetic articles that advance knowledge and identify conservation solutions.
3. Three articles highlight the importance of considering the hydrological and limnological processes that control the integrity of these freshwater ecosystems and offer new insights on how to extrapolate them across the basin.
4. Three articles on crocodilians, aquatic mammals, and migratory fishes document threats and knowledge gaps, and identify the missing role of governments as an impediment to conservation of their populations.
5. Three articles evaluate the multi-faceted effects of hydropower dams on fish, birds, and floodplain trees. They reinforce perceptions that dams are key environmental threats and offer guidance for improving protocols for dam site selection and impact assessment.
6. Three articles assessing the effectiveness of protected areas to safeguard fish and aquatic invertebrates show there is an urgent need to redesign the Amazon protected area network to adequately protect freshwater biota.
7. Three forward-looking articles show that: (i) conservation initiatives by local communities are ‘bright spots’ for freshwater conservation; (ii) microchemistry analyses of the ear bones of fishes could boost the knowledge base needed to conserve them; and (iii) strengthening the Amazon conservation framework requires a reversal of Brazil's current governmental priorities, remobilization of stakeholders, investments in capacity building, and expanding protections to terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems.

     

UK deep‐sea conservation: Progress,lessons learned,and actions for the future

1. Despite a relatively long history of scientific interest fuelled by exploratory research cruises, the UK deep sea has only recently emerged as the subject of targeted and proactive conservation. Enabling legislation over the past 10 years has resulted in the designation of marine protected areas and the implementation of fisheries management areas as spatial conservation tools. This paper reflects on progress and lessons learned, recommending actions for the future.
2. Increased investment has been made to improve the evidence base for deep‐sea conservation, including collaborative research surveys and use of emerging technologies. New open data portals and developments in marine habitat classification systems have been two notable steps to furthering understanding of deep‐sea biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in support of conservation action.
3. There are still extensive gaps in fundamental knowledge of deep‐sea ecosystems and of cause and effect. Costs of new technologies and a limited ability to share data in a timely and efficient manner across sectors are barriers to furthering understanding. In addition, whilst the concepts of natural capital and ecosystem services are considered a useful tool to support the achievement of conservation goals, practical application is challenging.
4. Continued collaborative research efforts and engagement with industry to share knowledge and resources could offer cost‐effective solutions to some of these barriers. Further elaboration of the concepts of natural capital and ecosystem services will aid understanding of the costs and benefits associated with human–environment interactions and support informed decision‐making in conserving the deep sea.
5. Whilst multiple challenges arise for deep‐sea conservation, it is critical to continue ongoing conservation efforts, including exploration and collaboration, and to adopt new conservation strategies that are implemented in a systematic and holistic way and to ensure that these are adaptive to growing economic interest in this marine area.

     

Strengthening the synergies among global biodiversity targets to reconcile conservation and socio‐economic demands

1. Most of the world's nations adopted the 20 Aichi global biodiversity targets to be met by 2020, including the protection of at least 10% of their coastal and marine areas (Target 11) and the avoidance of extinction of threatened species (Target 12). However, reconciling these biodiversity targets with socio‐economic demands remains a great dilemma for implementing conservation policies.
2. In this paper, Aichi Targets 11 and 12 were simultaneously addressed using Brazil's exclusive economic zone as an example. Priority areas for expanding the current system of marine protected areas within the country's eight marine ecoregions were identified with data on threatened vertebrates under different scenarios. Additionally, the potential effects of major socio‐economic activities (small? and large‐scale fishing, seabed mining, and oil and gas exploration) on the representation of conservation features in proposed marine protected areas were explored.
3. Areas selected for expanding marine protected areas solely based on biodiversity data were different (spatial overlap from 62% to 93%) from areas prioritized when socio‐economic features were incorporated into the analysis. The addition of socio‐economic data in the prioritization process substantially decreased opportunity costs and potential conservation conflicts, at the cost of reducing significantly (up to 31%) the coverage of conservation features. Large? and small‐scale fisheries act in most of the exclusive economic zone and are the major constraints for protecting high‐priority areas.
4. Nevertheless, there is some spatial mismatch between areas of special relevance for conservation and socio‐economic activities, suggesting an opportunity for reconciling the achievement of biodiversity targets and development goals within the intricate Brazilian seascape by 2020 and beyond.

     

A political tsunami hits Amazon conservation

1. The history of conservation of the Amazon can be viewed as a war involving many battles with interests in agribusiness on one side and in biodiversity conservation and sustainability on the other side. Trends in large-scale deforestation in the 1970s spurred a series of policies, stakeholder alliances and international and grass-roots movements, which decades later led to the establishment of protected areas and interventions in soy and beef supply chains of agribusiness. Together, these advances epitomized a conservation framework for the Amazon, which at one point nearly curbed deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon, although it included very few protections for freshwater ecosystems.
2. While those conservation advances were taking place, however, a series of policy changes started to undermine them through expansions in deforestation, river regulation and mining activities. The election of Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro in 2019 then hit the Amazon conservation framework much like a tsunami of policy setbacks and the re-establishment of the economic policies that sparked the Amazon war in the past.
3. The current trajectory is one of large-scale degradation of Amazonian ecosystems and biodiversity with consequent impacts on local people. Because freshwater ecosystems are highly sensitive to human activities on water and on land, these growing impacts are particularly large.
4. It is too early to know, but four decades of institutional and policy developments to conserve the Brazilian Amazon may soon be pushed past the point from which they will be able to recover. Four conditions will be pivotal to allowing the Amazon conservation framework to recoup: (a) the end of Bolsonaro’s mandate in 2022 or earlier; (b) remobilization of stakeholders; (c) investments in environmental research, policy and multiple collaborations; and (d) moving conservation beyond terrestrial landscapes to also encompass freshwater ecosystems and their people.

     

Surfing and marine conservation: Exploring surf‐break protection as IUCN protected area categories and other effective area‐based conservation measures

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Encouraging youth engagement in marine protected areas: A survey of best practices in Canada

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A niche-based gap analysis for the conservation of odonate species in the Brazilian Amazon

1. Despite the current rates of deforestation and the expected climatic changes, protecting species in their natural habitats is still the simplest, cheapest, and most effective way of safeguarding biodiversity. Here, the network of protected areas in the Brazilian Amazon was evaluated to assess its effectiveness in safeguarding species of Odonata.
2. Ecological niche models were built to assess the suitability of the habitat for 503 Amazonian odonate species. Then, the effectiveness for the protection of odonate species of three classes of protected areas (strictly protected area, sustainable use area, and indigenous territory) was evaluated.
3. Approximately 30% of the species are protected within the network of protected areas. These findings highlight the importance of protected areas for safeguarding most odonate species in the Amazon. For under-represented or gap species, additional resources are still needed for effective management and protection on some private properties, which need to set aside land for conservation. In this way, it is possible to preserve habitats for odonate species and guarantee their conservation in the Amazon.

     

Salty stories,fresh spaces: Lessons for aquatic protected areas from marine and freshwater experiences

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Establishing marine protected areas through bottom‐up processes: insights from two contrasting initiatives in Chile

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Securing effective and equitable coverage of marine protected areas: The UK's progress towards achieving Convention on Biological Diversity commitments and lessons learned for the way forward

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Advances and challenges in marine conservation in Chile: A regional and global comparison

1. Despite significant progress made in Chile, and globally, in establishing marine protected areas (MPAs), the actual contribution to marine biodiversity conservation needs to be revised, to focus on representativeness and the diversity of tools alongside effective implementation, management, and enforcement.
2. This study makes progress in this direction, describing the most recent advances in marine conservation in Chile and analysing the contribution of the different conservation instruments as well as the distribution of designated areas across ecoregions. Furthermore, it examines the potential contribution of alternative area-based instruments to balance ocean protection. The advances observed in Chile were compared among four South American countries and five leading countries in ocean conservation, analysing protection levels in coastal areas, continental exclusive economic zones, and overseas territories.
3. Data on MPA boundaries and attributes were sourced from the World Database on Protected Areas and complemented the official information on MPAs and territorial user rights for fisheries and for indigenous people in South America.
4. The current level of protection in Chile is among the highest in the world in area coverage and in the proportion of the continental exclusive economic zone assigned to fully protected areas. However, it exhibits the strongest imbalances in the distribution of designated MPAs between coastal and oceanic waters, in comparison with the leading countries and also within South America (Perú, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay), and among ecoregions.
5. The patterns observed suggest that Chile has advanced, but concentrated, conservation efforts in low-threat, remote ecoregions. There is an urgent need to progress towards high-threat ecoregions, which implies balancing the needs of nature and people. The distribution of ancillary conservation instruments can help double the level of protection in threatened coastal areas, filling gaps in marine conservation and creating an opportunity to progress and diversify conservation strategies.

     

The future of marine citizenship is now: Cetacean conservation in the eyes of young Spanish citizens

1. The number of young conservationist movements is increasing worldwide, as new generations become more aware of the environmental problems that are having an impact on the planet. Consequently, young people appear to play a fundamental role in developing successful conservation strategies.
2. This research examines young citizens’ knowledge, attitudes and engagement in cetacean conservation in coastal and non-coastal regions of Spain, and assesses the influence of whaling tradition.
3. A total of 902 anonymous surveys were conducted with students between 14 and 16 years old at 10 high schools located in nine different study areas, six located along the Cantabrian coast (Southern Bay of Biscay) and three located in inland regions of Spain.
4. In general, results showed low levels of knowledge about cetaceans and whaling among young people, but high concern about cetacean conservation. As it was expected, knowledge about the history of whaling was higher in participants from areas with than without a whaling tradition. However, no statistically significant differences were found regarding attitudes towards cetaceans between these two groups.
5. Significant differences were detected between genders with respect to cetacean conservation and engagement. Females showed more positive attitudes towards cetaceans when compared with their male counterparts.
6. A correlation between knowledge and positive attitudes regarding whales and dolphins was found in areas located along the Cantabrian coast, and a correlation between positive attitudes and engagement in cetacean conservation was observed in all study areas.
7. Although the majority of participants showed strong support for the protection of whales and dolphins, less than two-thirds stated that they were willing to engage in cetacean conservation.
8. The results of this study may contribute to the implementation of improved marine education programmes. These programmes should not only raise awareness of the marine environment, but also promote pro-environmental behaviour and engagement in the protection of the ocean.

     

Assessing the effectiveness of a long‐standing rocky intertidal protected area and its contribution to the regional conservation of species,habitats and assemblages

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Biodiversity,ecology, fisheries,and use and trade of Tetraodontiformes fishes reveal their socio‐ecological significance along the tropical Brazilian continental shelf

1. Tetraodontiformes fishes play a critical role in benthic and demersal communities and are facing threats due to anthropogenic impacts and climate change. However, they are poorly studied worldwide. To improve knowledge on the socio‐ecological significance and conservation of Tetraodontiformes a review of literature addressing the diversity, ecology, use and trade, conservation, and main threats of Tetraodontiformes combined with a comprehensive in situ dataset from two broad‐range multidisciplinary oceanographic surveys performed along the Tropical Brazilian Continental Shelf was undertaken.
2. Twenty‐nine species were identified, being primarily found on coral reefs and algal ecosystems. At these habitats, tetraodontids present highly diversified trophic categories and might play an important role by balancing the marine food web
3. Coral reef ecosystems, especially those near to the shelf break, seem to be the most important areas of Tetraodontiformes fishes, concentrating the highest values of species richness, relative abundance and the uncommon and Near Threatened species.
4. Ninety per cent of species are commonly caught as bycatch, being also used in the ornamental trade (69%) and as food (52%), serving as an important source of income for artisanal local fisheries.
5. Tetraodontiformes are threatened by unregulated fisheries, overexploitation, bycatch, and habitat loss due to coral reef degradation and the potential effects of climate change. These factors are more broadly impacting global biodiversity, food security, and other related ecosystem functions upon which humans and many other organisms rely.
6. We recommend the following steps that could improve the conservation of Tetraodontiformes along the tropical Brazilian Continental shelf and elsewhere: (i) data collection of the commercial, incidental, ornamental and recreational catches; (ii) improvement of the current legislation directed at the marine ornamental harvesting; (iii) increase efforts focused on the education and conservation awareness in coastal tourism and communities; and, most important, (iv) creation of marine reserves networks in priority areas of conservation, protecting either the species and key habitats for its survival.

     

Protected areas and frugivorous fish in tropical rivers: Small-scale fisheries,conservation and ecosystem services

1. Frugivorous fish provide often conflicting ecosystem services of seed dispersal and food provisioning in tropical rivers. Fishing may reduce the size and abundance of frugivorous fish, thus affecting their potential as seed dispersers, which could affect the conservation of these fish and of floodplain forests.
2. The goal of this study was to assess the influence of co-managed protected areas in the form of extractive reserves (RESEX) and small-scale fisheries on frugivorous fish in the Tapajós and Negro rivers, in the Brazilian Amazon. The study examined whether: (i) frugivorous fish are important for fisheries and selectively caught; and (ii) frugivorous fish abundance, size and fisheries catch per unit of effort are higher inside the RESEX than outside.
3. The analyses included fisheries-dependent data (3,753 fish landings) and independent data (12,730 sampled fish) collected in 16 fishing communities (eight for each river). In both rivers, frugivorous fish are among the 10 species caught the most and frugivorous biomass was proportionately higher in landings than in samplings, indicating fisheries selectivity towards these fishes.
4. In both rivers, catches of frugivorous fish were higher outside the RESEX than inside. Catch per unit effort and the proportion of frugivores in the catch were higher outside the RESEX in the Tapajós River but did not vary between sites inside and outside the RESEX in the Negro River. Frugivorous fish were larger inside the RESEX in the Negro, but smaller inside the RESEX in the Tapajós.
5. The results indicated that the ecosystem services of seed dispersal and food source provided by frugivorous fish are not in conflict in the tropical rivers studied. Therefore, these clearwater and blackwater rivers in the Brazilian Amazon show a balance between fisheries and conservation of frugivorous fish, which play an essential role in the functioning of tropical floodplain forest ecosystems.

     

Existing protected areas provide a poor safety-net for threatened Amazonian fish species

1. Freshwater ecosystems represent less than 0.01% of Earth's surface water but proportionately encompass the most species-rich environment on the planet, including nearly one-third of all vertebrate species. Even though inland continental waters are widely regarded as highly endangered ecosystems, their species assemblages are mostly ignored in conservation plans, largely because spatial patterns of freshwater species remain poorly understood. This is particularly severe throughout the Neotropics, most notably in the Amazon superbasin, where the sheer biotic diversity is coupled with a severe lack of biodiversity knowledge at several levels.
2. Spatial patterns of Neotropical freshwater fishes focusing mainly on the Amazon superbasin were investigated. First, Endemic Amazonian Fish Areas (EAFAs) representing central units for the conservation of continental fishes were delimited. Interpolated maps were then analysed using alternative methodologies to delimit spatial patterns of diversity and endemicity across the Amazon superbasin. Several biogeographical analyses used a comprehensive dataset of species and geographical coordinates of Amazonian fishes.
3. The results reveal well-defined spatial patterns of species richness and endemicity in the Amazonian fish fauna, showing that most protected areas are concentrated in a single bioregion (Amazon lowlands). Those areas are incongruent and insufficient to protect endemic and threatened species, which are mostly distributed in upland regions.
4. Effective conservation of the Amazonian fish fauna should include EAFAs within protected areas, especially those undergoing deforestation and hydropower development pressure and containing a high concentration of threatened species.
5. The following EAFAs should be considered as conservation priorities: Upper Araguaia, Upper Tocantins, Lower Teles Pires/Serra do Cachimbo, Chapada dos Parecis and Upper Marañon. These regions should be urgently protected to avert the loss of important trophic relationships and unique elements of the Amazonian fish fauna.