Q 17 - How to identify priority areas for conservation of pelagic biodiversity?#

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Operational approaches

ESE1 - Ecological toolkit#

Practices: Scoping Data collection and presentation Analysis and diagnosis Prioritisation and designation
Spatial scales: Transboundary / sea basin National Regional / local
Protection regimes: Non-strict protection
Marine zones: Offshore zone

Criteria classes: 1 Ecological and genetic criteria 1.1 Functional 1.1.1 Vulnerability 1.1.2 Stability 1.1.3 Functional hotspots 1.1.4. Life cycle critical areas 1.1.5 Climate-smart potential 1.2 Structural 1.3 Genetic

Criteria

Operational approaches: (Method) Dispersion and connectivity modelling (Tool) Pressure assessment of MARine activities (PMAR) module (Method) Trade-off for MPA Design - Conservation and economic development (Method) Trade-off for MPA Design - Local and global interests

Implementation details

This question refers to the question 52: “How to protect pelagic habitats”, we highly recommend to read carefully that answer for more details.

Priority area for conservation of pelagic biodiversity should be areas where the functionality will be maintained under the changing conditions (climate-refugia or adaptive areas, see CAMBRA et al., 2024) and the future productive areas for the pelagic ecosystems. To protect pelagic habitats it is so highly consider to monitor and project the future upwelling areas and plankton dynamics.

According to the ESE, priority areas are considered under: - Functionally important areas (Functional hotspots macro-criterion): presence of key functional species such as apex predators or primary producers and areas that are vulnerable and considered a priority for conservation due to their functional importance in the marine (e.g. Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems, VMEs like corals and their role as habitat forming species for which many other species depend on). - Critical areas for the life cycle of species that undertake a pelagic phase (i.e. macro-criterion Life cycle critical areas, e.g. larval source and sink areas, steppingstone areas, refuge areas, migratory corridors, feeding grounds for cetaceans) should be considered a priority as these species depend on these areas to survive. For this, the use of techniques such as observations, eDNA and satellite monitoring (e.g. phytoplankton blooms, fishing/trade vessel activity for example to investigate shipping strikes on cetaceans) and tagging can aid in the identification of priority areas for the conservation of pelagic biodiversity. Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs) and Ecologically or Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs) also provide criteria that can guide the conservation of pelagic species/habitats. - Connectivity areas as connectivity being intertwined in efforts to conserve pelagic biodiversity, please find further classifications of connectivity and their associated metrics and tools in Chapter/Section 4 of D3.1 “Critical review on multilevel ecological processes to improve systemic biodiversity protection and restoration strategies in Europe” and Section 3.2.4 of D3.2 “Portfolio of improved ecological criteria to be applied in systemic biodiversity protection and restoration”.

MSPdF Classification: Marine & Coastal Environment Marine & Coastal Environment -> Descriptor/Criteria: D1 Biodiversity - birds Marine & Coastal Environment -> Descriptor/Criteria: D1 Biodiversity - pelagic habitats Marine & Coastal Environment -> Descriptor/Criteria: D1C4 Population distributional range and pattern Marine & Coastal Environment -> Descriptor/Criteria: D1C6 Pelagic habitat condition Marine & Coastal Conservation and Designated sites: Nationally designated Protected Areas (marine and coastal) Marine & Coastal Conservation and Designated sites: Recognised areas of protection/conservation value Maritime Activities and MSP: Professional fishing Maritime Activities and MSP: Recreational fishing Maritime Activities and MSP: Protected areas

Notes

Bongiorni L et al (2023) Critical review on multilevel ecological processes to improve systemic biodiversity protection and restoration strategies in Europe. Deliverable – D3.1., under the WP2 of MSP4BIO project (GA n° 101060707)

Bongiorni L., Bekaert M., Jusufovski D., Bocci M., Gissi E., Magaldi M., Sciascia R., Rombouts I., Costa A., Barbanti A., Pınarbaşı K., Withouck I., Kotta J., Whatley L., Barboza F.R. (2023) Portfolio of improved ecological criteria to be applied in biodiversity protection and restoration for project testing sites. Deliverable – D3.2., under the WP3 of MSP4BIO project (GA n° 101060707)

Cambra et al (2024). Guidance for including climate change scenarios in protection and prioritization strategies for Marine Protected Areas development. Deliverable D3.3, under the WP3 of MSP4BIO project (GA n°101060707)