Recent revisions of Australia’s National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas (NRSMPA) have further biased protection of biodiversity away from commercially useful waters, thereby forgoing another opportunity for large-scale marine conservation. The NRSMPA includes State, Territory, and Commonwealth MPAs, with the latter component undergoing significant revisions from 2012, to 2015 and 2018 (Figure 1). Figure … Continue reading Representation does not necessarily reduce threats to biodiversity: Australia’s Commonwealth marine protected area system, 2012–2018
Research advances and gaps in marine planning: towards a global database in systematic conservation planning
Over the last three decades, hundreds of systematic conservation planning (SCP) studies were produced, yet we have no reliable way of finding information on SCP methods, trends, and progress. In particular, the number of studies added to the marine SCP literature has increased exponentially over the past 10 years (Figure 1). This accelerating output of … Continue reading Research advances and gaps in marine planning: towards a global database in systematic conservation planning
Diseño y conectividad de reservas marinas ante el calentamiento global
International collaborations are central to our research. Here we summarize the results of an ongoing collaboration with Mexican colleagues to design a network of marine reserves in the Gulf of California, reported earlier in our blog. We do so in Spanish to ensure we reach a wider readership, particularly in Mexico! El calentamiento de los … Continue reading Diseño y conectividad de reservas marinas ante el calentamiento global
Designing connected marine reserves in the face of global warming
Global warming can disrupt ecological connectivity among marine reserves by shortening potential dispersal pathways through changes in larval physiology. These changes can compromise the effectiveness of marine reserve networks, thus requiring adjusting their design to account for warmer oceans. To address this challenge, researchers from the Conservation Planning Group are collaborating with scientists, agencies, NGOs, … Continue reading Designing connected marine reserves in the face of global warming
Conservation planning to maximise impact in small-scale coral reef fisheries
In the past, much of conservation planning has prioritised areas with high biodiversity value. However, the work of the conservation planning group and others is demonstrating that prioritising areas with high biodiversity value may not have the highest conservation impact. This is because many high biodiversity areas are under minimal threat from activities that are … Continue reading Conservation planning to maximise impact in small-scale coral reef fisheries
Designing marine reserve networks with stakeholders
Integrating stakeholder preferences into science-driven approaches to designing marine reserve networks can help to create designs that are scientifically sound, while taking into account local knowledge and preferences. Early engagement and input from stakeholders can facilitate the successful implementation of new marine reserves and maximise compliance. Worldwide, overfishing and climate change threaten marine biodiversity and … Continue reading Designing marine reserve networks with stakeholders
Does tourism really suffer at sites listed as World Heritage In Danger?
A recent article in The Conversation explores the possible impact for tourism on the Great Barrier Reef given the potential for listing of the Reef as World Heritage in Danger. Jon Day (PhD candidate in the ARC Centre for Coral Reef Studies) outlines the impacts for tourism at three other famous World Heritage destinations - … Continue reading Does tourism really suffer at sites listed as World Heritage In Danger?
NEW PAPER: Restricted grouper reproductive migrations support community-based management
Small, targeted community-managed reserves can balance conservation and fisheries benefits.Conservation commonly requires trade-offs between social and ecological goals. For tropical small-scale fisheries, social considerations often require community-based management – carried out at very small spatial scales. This is of particular concern for large coral reef fishes, such as many species of grouper, which migrate to aggregations to … Continue reading NEW PAPER: Restricted grouper reproductive migrations support community-based management
Forthcoming global database on studies in systematic conservation planning
From 18-21 February 2016, six members of the Conservation Planning Group organized a writing workshop on Magnetic Island. The main aim of the workshop was to produce a journal paper describing the first stage of a global database on planning studies. The explosive growth of systematic conservation planning in the last decade has made it … Continue reading Forthcoming global database on studies in systematic conservation planning