Author: Bob Pressey

For nearly 40 years, marine zoning has played an important role in managing the Great Barrier Reef.  Zoning today, however, has changed considerably since the first zoning plans were finalized in 1988. A recent study, led by Jon Day and published in the journal Aquatic Conservation, summarises numerous lessons learned from decades of applying zoning … Continue reading New paper: Marine zoning revisited: how zoning the Great Barrier Reef has evolved as an effective spatial planning approach for marine ecosystem‐based management

Large sums of money are invested annually in conservation interventions, but evidence of the conservation impact of these investments is often lacking or conflicting. Just as important, there is much confusion among scientists and practitioners about how the effectiveness of policy interventions should be evaluated. In a new paper led by Vanessa Adams, we show … Continue reading New paper: Shortfalls in conservation evidence – moving from ecological effects of interventions to policy evaluation

Fernanda Terra Stori visited the Centre in 2018 to work with the Conservation Planning Group. We recently had a paper published from that visit. Fernanda described the social-ecological system of Araçá Bay in Brazil, a small-scale fishery community that has experienced successive disturbances due to development projects since the 1930s. As part of a major … Continue reading New paper: Traditional ecological knowledge supports ecosystem-based management in coastal Brazil

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park was rezoned in 2004, greatly increasing the extent of no-take or green zones to about one third of the Park's area. But what do we know about the biological benefits of this major change in allowed activities, particularly fishing? Our new study, led by Kerrie Fraser and published in … Continue reading New paper: How much do we know about the conservation impact of the Great Barrier Reef rezoning?

A new paper led by Me'ira Mizrahi in JCU's Livelihoods Lab involved members of the Conservation Planning Group. Me'ira's paper reports on a global analysis that used national-level socio-economic data to identify where Shark Large MPAs are more likely to be successful in providing conservation benefits to sharks. The study produced multivariate indices to reflect … Continue reading New paper: Opportunities and challenges for Shark Large Marine Protected Areas

Raísa Vieira, a visitor to, and collaborator with, the Conservation Planning Group, has recently published some important findings on Brazilian protected areas. Her national terrestrial analysis showed that Brazil's rather high percentage of overall reservation (18%) is skewed strongly toward the Amazon biome. In the nation's other biomes, not only do reserves cover much smaller … Continue reading New paper: The residual nature of reserves in Brazil

A new paper, led by Lara Monteiro, a member of Rafael Loyola's research group at Universidade Federal de Goiás (UFG), has made advances in planning for landscape and climate dynamics. The paper,  co-authored with colleagues at UFG and the Conservation Planning Group's Bob Pressey, is now published online in Biodiversity and Conservation. The paper contrasted alternative planning strategies … Continue reading New paper: conservation is about making a difference, but typical planning based on representation can make little difference compared to actively planning to avoid loss

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are not always placed where they can maximise positive impacts on conservation and livelihoods. Whilst clear MPA guidelines are available that focus on biophysical criteria, less attention has been given to incorporating socioeconomic dimensions into the MPA planning process. A new paper, led by Me’ira Mizrahi and published in Society and … Continue reading New paper: a systematic review of the socioeconomic factors that influence how marine protected areas impact on ecosystems and livelihoods

Members of the Conservation Planning Group were authors on two letters published today in the journal Science. Jessica Cramp comments on the effectiveness of a large shark reserve in Micronesia. The establishment of the reserve was received with fanfare from the conservation community and, if left in place as initially intended, would have increased protection for … Continue reading Two comments in Science questioning the value of large marine parks