Ocean protection quality is lagging behind quantity: Applying a scientific framework to assess real marine protected area progress against the 30 by 30 target

The international community set a global conservation target to protect at least 30% of the ocean by 2030 (“30 × 30”) to reverse biodiversity loss, including through marine protected areas (MPAs). However, varied MPAs result in significantly different conservation outcomes, making MPA coverage alone an inadequate metric.We used TheMPA Guide framework to assess the the world’s largest 100 MPAs by area, representing nearly 90% of reported global MPA coverage and 7.3% of the global ocean area, and analyzed the distribution of MPA quality across political and ecological regions. A quarter of the assessed MPA coverage is not implemented, and one-third is incompatible with the conservation of nature. Two factors contribute to this outcome: (1) many reported MPAs lack regulations or management, and (2) some MPAs allow high-impact activities. Fully and highly protected MPAs account for one-third of the assessed area but are unevenly distributed across ecoregions in part because some nations have designated large, highly protected MPAs in their overseas or remote territories. Indicators of MPA quality, not only coverage, are needed to ensure a global network of MPAs that covers at least 30% of the ocean and effectively safeguards representative marine ecosystems from destructive human activities.Fundaçãopara a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCTinfo:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Localization and initial analysis of MAPK and IP3K-Akt signaling pathways in hemocytes of the pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis

Recent evidence suggests immune cells (hemocytes) of mollusks utilize several signaling pathways in their active responses to bacterial infections or tissue damage. We have examined the role of two kinases involved in the motility changes associated with such responses: ERK 1/2, a key kinase in the MAPK cascade and Akt, a key kinase in the PI3K pathway. Our hypothesis is that these two pathways act in concert to enable activation of motile phagocytosis