Wilderness
From coraldigest
Marine Reserves and Marine Wilderness Areas
- Need to define what this is and compare with MPAs
- Look at this article: http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nclimate2062.html
- Find other examples of reserves/wilderness areas as case studies
Threats to ecosystem: pollution, overfishing, climate change and coastal erosion (from natural causes & development). These cause detrimental effects to economy, tourism and ecosystem.
- Science based research measures to protect it: Marine reserves/wilderness areas and MPA’s
- 1.6% of ocean is protected in a Marine protected area (MPA)
- <0.2% are protected by no-take marine reserves (EDDY)
- But 80% of coral reefs in Caribbean have disappeared in last 30 years
- Only 10% of large, predatory fish populations exists since pre-industrial times
- [[1]]
- (http://www.amnh.org/explore/science-bulletins/bio/documentaries/our-oceans-ourselves/article-understanding-a-marine-wilderness-in-parts)
In order to slow, and possibly reverse, these damaging effects, there are plans for more marine reserves to be established
No-take Marine Reserve/Wilderness area: no fishing What it is:
- Organisms & their habitats are completely protected from removal or alteration. Fishermen cannot fish in these areas, and no plants or animals may be removed
How these reserves help:
- Number of species are higher, organisms grow larger, and are able to reproduce more than animals outside of no take reserves. protects diversity
- Habitats can recover more quickly to threats than if fished, ecosystems more sustainable
- useful conservation tool if carefully designed and enforced, should not replace traditional management practices (catch quotas, gear restrictions)
- Borders are porous: this affects populations outside of borders. Fish from reserve can ‘spillover’ into neighboring waters, and can replenish nearby populations
- reseeding effect: fish eggs can drift, hatch, grow up and then mate outside of reserve
Where are reserves now?
- some examples: Exuma Cays land & Sea Park of the Bahamas (456 km^2)
- Bahamas has plans to set aside 20% of ocean area as no-take marine reserve
- UNEP (United Nations Environmental Program) set goal of 10% global ocean protection by 2020
- 0.3% of New Zealand marine environment is protected by no take marine reserves (Eddy, T. D. "One Hundred-Fold Difference between Perceived and Actual Levels of Marine Protection in New Zealand." Marine Policy 46 (2014): 61-7. SCOPUS. Web. 22 February 2014.)
How many reserves are enough to protect and replenish fish supply to sustain economy? And where would boundaries be most effective?
- Bahamas biocomplexity project: Team of American, British, Bahamian scientists, such as ecologists, geneticists, anthropologists, economists, mathematicians, are investigating these questions to understand how humans, biology, and geography affect the marine environment
- survey number and size of organisms within reserve as compared to those outside of reserve, quantify how well it actually protects
- systematic social research: cultural, economic, political context. fishing locations, catch size, revenues, cultural attachment, and how island life has changed are all taken into account when establishing boundaries and management of the reserve.
Enforcement