Expanding marine protected areas to include degraded coral reefs |
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| Authors: | A Abelson PA Nelson GJ Edgar N Shashar DC Reed J Belmaker G Krause MW Beck E Brokovich R France SD Gaines |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Zoology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel;2. H. T. Harvey & Associates, 983 University Avenue, Building D, Los Gatos, CA, U.S.A.;3. Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart Tasmania, Australia;4. Eilat Campus, Ben‐Gurion University, Eilat, Israel;5. Marine Science Institute University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, U.S.A.;6. Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), Earth System Knowledge Platform (ESKP), Bremerhaven, Germany;7. Global Marine Team of The Nature Conservancy at the Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, U.S.A.;8. The Israel Society of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Tel Aviv, Israel;9. Department of Environmental Sciences, Dalhousie University, Truro, Canada;10. Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, U.S.A. |
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| Abstract: | Marine protected areas (MPAs) are a commonly applied solution to coral reef degradation, yet coral reefs continue to decline worldwide. We argue that expanding the range of MPAs to include degraded reefs (DR‐MPA) could help reverse this trend. This approach requires new ecological criteria for MPA design, siting, and management. Rather than focusing solely on preserving healthy reefs, our approach focuses on the potential for biodiversity recovery and renewal of ecosystem services. The new criteria would help identify sites with the highest potential for recovery and the greatest resistance to future threats (e.g., increased temperature and acidification) and sites that contribute to MPA connectivity. The DR‐MPA approach is a compliment rather than a substitute for traditional MPA design approaches. We believe that the DR‐MPA approach can enhance the natural, or restoration‐assisted, recovery of DRs and their ecosystem services; increase total reef area available for protection; promote more resilient and better‐connected MPA networks; and improve conditions for human communities dependent on MPA ecosystem services. |
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| Keywords: | conservation ecological rehabilitation ecological restoration ecosystem degradation marine ecosystems MPA AMP conservació n degradació n de los ecosistemas ecosistemas marinos rehabilitació n ecoló gica restauració n ecoló gica |
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