Suchergebnisse

International audience ; The vastness of the Pacific Ocean, and the geographic isolation of its island nations, sets the stage for critical disconnects between the drivers and causes of climate change and their local impacts in Pacific Island communities. Pacific Islands, as elsewhere, face persistent local crises at the nexus of natural and human systems that have altered the way we interact with our environments, raising challenging questions about how to sustain the well-being of our communities, and their associated coral reef ecosystems. These ecosystems and communities that rely on them are "canaries in the coal mine" for climate change and biodiversity loss. At the same time, the scientific, technological, indigenous, and social knowledge systems that could contribute to sustainable futures are often siloed in disciplinary as well as political contexts. It is in this arena that the 4-Site Pacific Transect Collaborative seeks to work. The big question we ask is, "What knowledge infrastructure is needed to equitably and democratically support Pacific Islands societies in achieving Sustainable Development Goals and promote the resilience of coral reef social-ecological systems"?

International audience ; The vastness of the Pacific Ocean, and the geographic isolation of its island nations, sets the stage for critical disconnects between the drivers and causes of climate change and their local impacts in Pacific Island communities. Pacific Islands, as elsewhere, face persistent local crises at the nexus of natural and human systems that have altered the way we interact with our environments, raising challenging questions about how to sustain the well-being of our communities, and their associated coral reef ecosystems. These ecosystems and communities that rely on them are "canaries in the coal mine" for climate change and biodiversity loss. At the same time, the scientific, technological, indigenous, and social knowledge systems that could contribute to sustainable futures are often siloed in disciplinary as well as political contexts. It is in this arena that the 4-Site Pacific Transect Collaborative seeks to work. The big question we ask is, "What knowledge infrastructure is needed to equitably and democratically support Pacific Islands societies in achieving Sustainable Development Goals and promote the resilience of coral reef social-ecological systems"?

International audience ; The vastness of the Pacific Ocean, and the geographic isolation of its island nations, sets the stage for critical disconnects between the drivers and causes of climate change and their local impacts in Pacific Island communities. Pacific Islands, as elsewhere, face persistent local crises at the nexus of natural and human systems that have altered the way we interact with our environments, raising challenging questions about how to sustain the well-being of our communities, and their associated coral reef ecosystems. These ecosystems and communities that rely on them are "canaries in the coal mine" for climate change and biodiversity loss. At the same time, the scientific, technological, indigenous, and social knowledge systems that could contribute to sustainable futures are often siloed in disciplinary as well as political contexts. It is in this arena that the 4-Site Pacific Transect Collaborative seeks to work. The big question we ask is, "What knowledge infrastructure is needed to equitably and democratically support Pacific Islands societies in achieving Sustainable Development Goals and promote the resilience of coral reef social-ecological systems"?

11 pages, 6 figures, 1 table.-- Under a Creative Commons license ; The effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) depends on the mobility of the populations that are the target of protection, with sedentary species likely to spend more time under protection even within small MPAs. However, little is understood about how individual variation in mobility may influence the risk of crossing an MPA border, as well as the fitness costs associated with being exposed to spillover fisheries. Here we investigated the repeatability of spatial behaviour, its role in determining the probability of being at risk (i.e. exposed to the fishery) and the fitness consequences for the individuals. We acoustically tracked the movements and fate of 282 individuals of three fish species during 8 years in a southern Norwegian fjord. We found that for individuals with a home range centroid inside the MPA, the probability of being at risk outside the MPA increased rapidly with reduced distance from the home range centroid to MPA borders, particularly for individuals having larger and more dispersed home ranges. We also detected that the seasonal expansions of the home range are associated with increased time at risk. Last, we show that individuals spending more time at risk were also more likely to be harvested by the fishery operating outside the MPA. Our study provides clear links between individual fish behaviour, fisheries-induced selection, and the effectiveness of protected areas. These links highlight the importance of intraspecific trait variation for understanding the spatial dynamics of populations and emphasize the need to consider individual behaviour when designing and implementing MPAs ; This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 793627 (BEMAR), from the programme IF_ERC from the Spanish National Research Council (granted to DVR) and from the Marine Science programme within the Research Council of Norway, grant no. 294926 (CODSIZE). JC received funding from the BiodivERsA program (METRODIVER project) ; Peer reviewed

AbstractThe morphology, physiology, and behavior of marine organisms have been a valuable source of inspiration for solving conceptual and design problems. Here, we introduce this rich and rapidly expanding field of marine biomimetics, and identify it as a poorly articulated and often overlooked element of the ocean economy associated with substantial monetary benefits. We showcase innovations across seven broad categories of marine biomimetic design (adhesion, antifouling, armor, buoyancy, movement, sensory, stealth), and use this framing as context for a closer consideration of the increasingly frequent focus on deep-sea life as an inspiration for biomimetic design. We contend that marine biomimetics is not only a "forgotten" sector of the ocean economy, but has the potential to drive appreciation of nonmonetary values, conservation, and stewardship, making it well-aligned with notions of a sustainable blue economy. We note, however, that the highest ambitions for a blue economy are that it not only drives sustainability, but also greater equity and inclusivity, and conclude by articulating challenges and considerations for bringing marine biomimetics onto this trajectory.

International audience ; In the Anthropocene, marine ecosystems are rapidly shifting to new ecological states. Achieving effective conservation of marine biodiversity has become a fast-moving target because of both global climate change and continuous shifts in marine policies. How prepared are we to deal with this crisis? We examined EU Member States Programs of Measures designed for the implementation of EU marine environmental policies, as well as recent Euro-pean Marine Spatial Plans, and discovered that climate change is rarely considered operationally. Further, our analysis revealed that monitoring programs in marine protected areas are often insufficient to clearly distinguish between impacts of local and global stressors. Finally, we suggest that while the novel global Blue Growth approach may jeopardize previous marine conservation efforts, it can also provide new conservation opportunities. Adaptive management is the way forward (e.g., preserving ecosystem functions in climate change hotspots, and identifying and targeting climate refugia areas for protection) using Marine Spatial Planning as a framework for action, especially given the push for Blue Growth.

International audience ; In the Anthropocene, marine ecosystems are rapidly shifting to new ecological states. Achieving effective conservation of marine biodiversity has become a fast-moving target because of both global climate change and continuous shifts in marine policies. How prepared are we to deal with this crisis? We examined EU Member States Programs of Measures designed for the implementation of EU marine environmental policies, as well as recent Euro-pean Marine Spatial Plans, and discovered that climate change is rarely considered operationally. Further, our analysis revealed that monitoring programs in marine protected areas are often insufficient to clearly distinguish between impacts of local and global stressors. Finally, we suggest that while the novel global Blue Growth approach may jeopardize previous marine conservation efforts, it can also provide new conservation opportunities. Adaptive management is the way forward (e.g., preserving ecosystem functions in climate change hotspots, and identifying and targeting climate refugia areas for protection) using Marine Spatial Planning as a framework for action, especially given the push for Blue Growth.

International audience ; In the Anthropocene, marine ecosystems are rapidly shifting to new ecological states. Achieving effective conservation of marine biodiversity has become a fast-moving target because of both global climate change and continuous shifts in marine policies. How prepared are we to deal with this crisis? We examined EU Member States Programs of Measures designed for the implementation of EU marine environmental policies, as well as recent Euro-pean Marine Spatial Plans, and discovered that climate change is rarely considered operationally. Further, our analysis revealed that monitoring programs in marine protected areas are often insufficient to clearly distinguish between impacts of local and global stressors. Finally, we suggest that while the novel global Blue Growth approach may jeopardize previous marine conservation efforts, it can also provide new conservation opportunities. Adaptive management is the way forward (e.g., preserving ecosystem functions in climate change hotspots, and identifying and targeting climate refugia areas for protection) using Marine Spatial Planning as a framework for action, especially given the push for Blue Growth.

International audience ; In the Anthropocene, marine ecosystems are rapidly shifting to new ecological states. Achieving effective conservation of marine biodiversity has become a fast-moving target because of both global climate change and continuous shifts in marine policies. How prepared are we to deal with this crisis? We examined EU Member States Programs of Measures designed for the implementation of EU marine environmental policies, as well as recent Euro-pean Marine Spatial Plans, and discovered that climate change is rarely considered operationally. Further, our analysis revealed that monitoring programs in marine protected areas are often insufficient to clearly distinguish between impacts of local and global stressors. Finally, we suggest that while the novel global Blue Growth approach may jeopardize previous marine conservation efforts, it can also provide new conservation opportunities. Adaptive management is the way forward (e.g., preserving ecosystem functions in climate change hotspots, and identifying and targeting climate refugia areas for protection) using Marine Spatial Planning as a framework for action, especially given the push for Blue Growth.

Marine protected areas (MPAs) represent the main tool for halting the loss of marine biodiversity. However, there is increasing evidence concerning their limited capacity to reduce or eliminate some threats even within their own boundaries. Here, we analysed a Europe-wide dataset comprising 31,579 threats recorded in 1692 sites of the European Union's Natura 2000 conservation network. Focusing specifically on threats related to marine species and habitats, we found that fishing and outdoor activities were the most widespread threats reported within MPA boundaries, although some spatial heterogeneity in the distribution of threats was apparent. Our results clearly demonstrate the need to reconsider current management plans, standardise monitoring approaches and reporting, refine present threat assessments and improve knowledge of their spatial patterns within and outside MPAs in order to improve conservation capacity and outcomes.

Cumulative human impacts have led to the degradation of marine ecosystems and the decline of biodiversity in the European and contiguous seas. Effective conservation measures are urgently needed to reverse these trends. Conservation must entail societal choices, underpinned by human values and worldviews that differ between the countries bordering these seas. Social, economic and political heterogeneity adds to the challenge of balancing conservation with sustainable use of the seas. Comprehensive macro-regional coordination is needed to ensure effective conservation of marine ecosystems and biodiversity of this region. Under the European Union Horizon 2020 framework programme, the MarCons COST action aims to promote collaborative research to support marine management, conservation planning and policy development. This will be achieved by developing novel methods and tools to close knowledge gaps and advance marine conservation science. This action will provide support for the development of macroregional and national policies through six key actions: to develop tools to analyse cumulative human impacts; to identify critical scientific and technical gaps in conservation efforts; to improve the resilience of the marine environment to global change and biological invasions; to develop frameworks for integrated conservation planning across terrestrial, freshwater, and marine environments; to coordinate marine conservation policy across national boundaries; and to identify effective governance approaches for marine protected area management. Achieving the objectives of these actions will facilitate the integration of marine conservation policy into macro-regional maritime spatial planning agendas for the European and contiguous seas, thereby off setting the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services in this region.