Large scale patterns of marine biodiversity: an evidence-based approach for prioritising areas for protection

Areas of high biodiversity may be more resilient to change and protecting these sites can help maintain the structure and functioning of the ecosystem. Additionally, identifying areas with high diversity may also improve the efficiency of an MPA network by capturing greater numbers of species and habitats of conservation importance within individual sites. We present a critical review of approaches to identify large scale patterns in marine biodiversity and discuss how these can be used to inform the selection of MPAs with reference to new national designations in UK waters

Seagrass ecosystem interactions with social and economic systems

gaps and key research questions which could be addressed in a continuation of this work. The work is split into three objectives. In objective one we use the DPSWR framework to define and identify key interactions between seagrass ecosystems and socioeconomic systems and consider where these interactions are relevant to policy making and decisions. For the purposes of this scoping report we identify the main pathways of loss and degradation for seagrasses in the UK from drivers, through pressures to state change. We identify the types of state change resulting from these pressures. By identifying the ecosystem services provided by seagrasses (Objective 2) and the factors regulating ecosystem function and hence the provision of these services we will be able to identify the implications of different pressures for human welfare, and examine whether standard monitoring techniques and information bases allow managers to account for these interactions. Finally, in objective 3 we explore how current institutional frameworks and policy are linked to the delivery of a range of ecosystem services by seagrass ecosystems using Rapid Policy Network Mapping (RPNM)

Identification of indicator species to represent the full range of benthic life history strategies for Lyme Bay and the consideration of the wider application for monitoring of Marine Protected Areas

The work presented in this report is part of a larger project funded by Defra which focuses on assessing the various changes that may ensue as a result of protection of a 60nm area of Lyme Bay to mobile fishing gear, both in ecological and economic terms. The ecological monitoring includes monitoring of representative indicator species of the reef to examine recoverability and to “assess the long-term effects of fishery area closures on long lived and sessile benthic species”. The current report outlines the selection of such indicator species for Lyme Bay and the wider application of this and alternative methods to monitoring MPAs

Protecting nationally important marine biodiversity in Wales : report to Wales Environment Link

Wales has both national and international commitments to protect its marine environment and biodiversity including commitments to designing a network of marine protected areas (MPAs) (e.g. under the OSPAR Convention and the World Summit on Sustainable Development 2002). At EU level, the Habitats Directive requires that a "coherent European ecological network of special areas of conservation shall be set up under the title Natura 2000". This requirement encompasses both the terrestrial and marine environments

Isles of Scilly seagrass mapping

Under the requirements of the EU Habitats Directive the UK Government has established a series of Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) which, with Special Protection Areas, form a series known as Natura 2000 (N2K). Articles 11 and 17(1) of the Habitats Directive require that member states regularly assess the ecological condition of the designated features within the N2K series. Condition Assessment of European Marine Sites is carried out on a six yearly cycle, and it is the responsibility of Natural England to report this to Europe through the JNCC (Joint Nature Conservation Committee). One of the qualifying marine features for SAC designation is sandbanks which are slightly covered by sea water all the time. Extensive meadows of the seagrass Zostera marina are a key sub-feature of this biotope. The Isles of Scilly SAC was selected for subtidal sandbanks and Zostera meadows. The objectives of this study are to utilise aerial survey and GIS methods, along with historic information, contextual information, and ground truthing to produce an up to date, accurate, GIS based map showing the current extent of seagrass Zostera marina in the Isles of Scilly. The results will enable changes in the extent of the seagrass to be monitored and so inform the site managers as to any changes that may need to be made to the future management of the SAC. This report is being published to inform managers and to allow others to review the work, as well as to develop and adapt monitoring programmes for this and other SACs

Do marine protected areas deliver flows of ecosystem services to support human welfare?

This paper examines the potential relationships between the ecosystem services provided by the coastal and marine environment and the designation of marine protected areas. The hypothesis is that relationships exist between the provision of ecosystem services and the features protected by marine protected areas. It is considered that protection will maintain these features in good ecological condition and in some cases will restore ecological functioning with positive effects on the delivery of ecosystem services, as pressures upon the protected features are reduced. As the number of marine protected area designations grows, system-wide effects to communities from improvements in delivery of a range of ecosystem services may be realised. This paper provides a comparative analysis of the jurisdictional marine protected area policies proposed by the English, Welsh and Scottish Governments. It presents structured assessment matrices developed from the literature and expert opinion, of ecosystem service provision by marine protected habitats and species and applies the findings to a range of existing UK marine protected areas to demonstrate its relevance. The approach and case study findings are discussed within the wider context of marine ecosystem services and marine protected area management

Mapping marine benthic biodiversity in Wales

The UK is committed through international agreements and European obligations to the establishment of an ecologically coherent network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to conserve marine ecosystems and biodiversity. The Welsh Assembly Government has committed to using the new Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) designation provided in the Marine and Coastal Access Act to create sites afforded a high level of protection. In addition the Marine and Coastal Access Act allows for the establishment of a system of Marine Spatial Planning in Welsh waters. The identification of areas of high biodiversity could be helpful for planning both Marine Protected Areas and for Marine Spatial Planning. Diverse communities can provide resilience to environmental perturbations (Petchey & Gaston 2009); the identification and protection of areas of high marine biodiversity can contribute to an ecosystem-based approach to the management of our seas. Furthermore, identifying which areas are most important for biodiversity not only yields benefits for the maintenance of ecosystem structure and functioning but can also enable cost effective prioritisation of areas for marine protection. The current study builds on work from previous studies at a UK-wide and regional level (Hiscock & Breckels 2007, Langmead et al. 2008) to develop an approach for mapping marine benthic biodiversity and apply it to Wales’ sea are

Review of biodiversity for marine spatial planning within the Firth of Clyde : report to: the The SSMEI Clyde Pilot from the Marine Life Information Network (MarLIN). Contract no. R70073PUR

The SSMEI Clyde Pilot is aimed at the development and delivery of more integrated and sustainable management of the marine and coastal areas of the Firth of Clyde. This will be achieved through an effective and integrated stakeholder regulator partnership, the development of a Marine Spatial Plan, together with improved decision support mechanisms and integrated decision making. The aim of this report was to collect, collate and review the existing marine biodiversity knowledge on the Firth of Clyde and use this to identify areas of biodiversity interest and gaps in current knowledge

Linking ecosystem services of marine protected areas to benefits in human wellbeing?

This chapter examines the potential relationship between ecosystem services provided by coastal ecosystems and the design and management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). While all coastal and marine habitats provide a range of ecosystem services, the implementation and management of an MPA may result in improvements in the quality or supply of an ecosystem service as pressures upon protected features are minimised. This chapter focuses on the United Kingdom (UK) and examines the contrasting approaches to MPA designation applied in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We argue that MPAs are able to influence ecosystem services and this is dependent on design concepts such as the scale of the site, the listed features, and management measures. Understanding the portfolio of services derived from features within MPAs will improve planning and management, particularly in the context of making site specific or regional trade-offs over designation, or in understanding the benefits and impacts of setting conservation objectives and introducing measures to achieve them

Extensive gaps and biases in our knowledge of a well-known fauna : implications for integrating biological traits into macroecology

Ecologists seeking to describe patterns at ever larger scales require compilations of data on the global abundance and distribution of species. Comparable compilations of biological data are needed to elucidate the mechanisms behind these patterns, but have received far less attention. We assess the availability of biological data across an entire assemblage: the well-documented demersal marine fauna of the United Kingdom. We also test whether data availability for a species depends on its taxonomic group, maximum body size, the number of times it has been recorded in a global biogeographic database, or its commercial and conservation importance