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Testing the presence of marine protected areas against their ability to reduce pressures on biodiversity
journal contribution
posted on 2020-06-01, 00:00 authored by Simone Stevenson, S N C Woolley, J Barnett, P DunstanMarine protected areas (MPAs) are the preferred tool for preventing marine biodiversity loss, as reflected in international protected area targets. Although the area covered by MPAs is expanding, there is a concern that opposition from resource users is driving them into already low-use locations, whereas high-pressure areas remain unprotected, which has serious implications for biodiversity conservation. We tested the spatial relationships between different human-induced pressures on marine biodiversity and global MPAs. We used global, modeled pressure data and the World Database on Protected Areas to calculate the levels of 15 different human-induced pressures inside and outside the world's MPAs. We fitted binomial generalized linear models to the data to determine whether each pressure had a positive or negative effect on the likelihood of an area being protected and whether this effect changed with different categories of protection. Pelagic and artisanal fishing, shipping, and introductions of invasive species by ships had a negative relationship with protection, and this relationship persisted under even the least restrictive categories of protection (e.g., protected areas classified as category VI under the International Union for Conservation of Nature, a category that permits sustainable use). In contrast, pressures from dispersed, diffusive sources (e.g., pollution and ocean acidification) had positive relationships with protection. Our results showed that MPAs are systematically established in areas where there is low political opposition, limiting the capacity of existing MPAs to manage key drivers of biodiversity loss. We suggest that conservation efforts focus on biodiversity outcomes and effective reduction of pressures rather than prescribing area-based targets, and that alternative approaches to conservation are needed in areas where protection is not feasible.
History
Journal
Conservation biologyVolume
34Issue
3Pagination
622 - 631Publisher
WileyLocation
Chichester, Eng.Publisher DOI
ISSN
0888-8892eISSN
1523-1739Language
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalUsage metrics
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No categories selectedKeywords
Science & TechnologyLife Sciences & BiomedicineBiodiversity ConservationEcologyEnvironmental SciencesBiodiversity & ConservationEnvironmental Sciences & EcologyAichi Target 11biasbiodiversityconservation planningglobaloceansite selectionbiodiversidadObjetivo 11 de Aichioceanoplaneacion de la conservacionseleccion de sitiosesgoCONSERVATION OUTCOMESFISHING GEARHUMAN IMPACTRESERVESVULNERABILITYCATEGORIESFISHERIESTARGETSTRENDSSIZEocéanoplaneación de la conservaciónselección de sitio
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