Q 38 - How to address ecological functionalities in conservation objectives?#

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Answers#

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ESE1 - Ecological toolkit#

Practices: Scoping
Spatial scales: Transboundary / sea basin National Regional / local
Protection regimes: Strict protection Non-strict protection
Marine zones: Coastal zone Deep sea Offshore zone

Criteria classes: 1.1 Functional

Criteria

Implementation details

How to address ecological functionalities in conservation objectives?

Conservation objectives should focus on identifying, monitoring and protecting areas where species and habitats that are important from a functional point of view are present. Macro-criterion (D3.4) Functional hotspots consists of several criteria useful in this regard, such as functionally representative areas, food web structure, presence of key functional species and key functional areas. In addition, and especially for functionally important species such as mobile apex predators that require connectivity between areas, these critical areas offering developmental, foraging, refuge, nursery grounds, recruitment and larval sources/spawning aggregation, should be considered as the status of life cycle critical areas, whether located within or outside of an area of interest, remain a key aspect of protecting species. Conservation objectives must also remain flexible to change as climate change can cause distributional shifts of functionally important species and establish and integrate a list of adaptive and highly resilient species (e.g. adaptivity potential and low vulnerability species). Lastly, criteria ecosystem integrity and stability should be addressed in conservation objectives, with functionally important species and habitats that contribute to this stability and integrity at broad scales, included in the drafting and implementation of objectives.