Solutions for ecosystem-level protection of ocean systems under climate change

Queiros, AM, Huebert, KB, Keyl, F, Fernandes, JA, Stolte, W, Maar, M, Kay, S, Jones, MC, Hamon, KG, Hendriksen, G, Vermard, Y, Marchal, P, Teal, LR, Somerfield, PJ, Austen, MC, Barange, M, Sell, AF, Allen, JI and Peck, MA 2016 Solutions for ecosystem-level protection of ocean systems under climate change. Global Change Biology, 22. 3927-3936. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13423

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Official URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.134...

Abstract/Summary

The Paris Conference of Parties (COP21) agreement renewed momentum for action against climate change, creating the space for solutions for conservation of the ocean addressing two of its largest threats: climate change and ocean acidification (CCOA). Recent arguments that ocean policies disregard a mature conservation research field and that protected areas cannot address climate change may be oversimplistic at this time when dynamic solutions for the management of changing oceans are needed. We propose a novel approach, based on spatial meta-analysis of climate impact models, to improve the positioning of marine protected areas to limit CCOA impacts. We do this by estimating the vulnerability of ocean ecosystems to CCOA in a spatially explicit manner and then co-mapping human activities such as the placement of renewable energy developments and the distribution of marine protected areas. We test this approach in the NE Atlantic considering also how CCOA impacts the base of the food web which supports protected species, an aspect often neglected in conservation studies. We found that, in this case, current regional conservation plans protect areas with low ecosystem-level vulnerability to CCOA, but disregard how species may redistribute to new, suitable and productive habitats. Under current plans, these areas remain open to commercial extraction and other uses. Here, and worldwide, ocean conservation strategies under CCOA must recognize the longterm importance of these habitat refuges, and studies such as this one are needed to identify them. Protecting these areas creates adaptive, climate-ready and ecosystem-level policy options for conservation, suitable for changing oceans.

Item Type: Publication - Article
Additional Information. Not used in RCUK Gateway to Research.: This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Queiros, AM; Huebert, KB; Keyl, F; Fernandes, JA; Stolte, W; Maar, M; Kay, S; Jones, MC; Hamon, KG; Hendriksen, G; Vermard, Y; Marchal, P; Teal, LR; Somerfield, PJ; Austen, MC; Barange, M; Sell, AF; Allen, JI; Peck, MA. 2016 Solutions for ecosystem-level protection of ocean systems under climate change. Global Change Biology, 22. 3927-3936, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13423. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.
Subjects: Aquaculture
Atmospheric Sciences
Biology
Computer Science
Conservation
Data and Information
Ecology and Environment
Economics
Fisheries
Management
Marine Sciences
Meteorology and Climatology
Oceanography
Planning
Policies
Pollution
Technology
Zoology
Divisions: Plymouth Marine Laboratory > Science Areas > Marine Ecology and Biodiversity
Depositing User: Dr Ana Queiros
Date made live: 17 Jan 2017 16:40
Last Modified: 25 Apr 2020 09:58
URI: https://plymsea.ac.uk/id/eprint/7333

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