Q 9 - How to effectively manage conservation areas including both terrestrial and marine zones?

Related sites

• Azores Archipelago

Notes

The conservation unit should support conservation of e.g. marine birds, particularly relevant for lagoons and anadromous and catadromous species. To be associated with regional and national initiative such as the French “Trame verte et bleue”

Answers

ESE1 - Ecological toolkit

Practices: Scoping Data collection and presentation Analysis and diagnosis Prioritisation and designation Implementation and management

Spatial scales: Regional / local

Protection regimes: Strict protection Non-strict protection

Marine zones: Coastal zone

Criteria classes: 1.1.4. Life cycle critical areas

Criteria

• Category Socio–economic & governance criteria

  • Subcategory Socio–economic criteria

    • Criteria Area of high scientific interest

  • Subcategory Governance criteria

    • Criteria Coherence management of the area

• Category Ecological and genetic criteria

  • Subcategory Functional

    • Macro-criterion Stability

      • Criteria Ecosystem Integrity

    • Macro-criterion Climate-smart potential

      • Criteria Concentrative Potential of Species of interest

      • Criteria Connectivity Potential

    • Macro-criterion Life cycle critical areas

Implementation details

Step 1: Define a list of species of interest for which the completion of life cycle depends both of a terrestrial (or freshwater) and marine phase (e.g. eels). Identify relevant boundaries of the conservation unit (including both land and sea) for these species to ensure a conservation of the complete life cycle (including species essential habitats first then main prey essential habitats). Use the “Criteria to prioritize species/ecosystems for conservation” from D2.2 to identify potential priorities among species.

Step 2: Map critical areas for each of this species and ecological corridors (e.g. Connectivity areas, nesting cliffs) when identified (e.g. estuary)

Step 3: Highlight concentrative areas (benefitting to a wide range of species or of species of high interest following the criteria to prioritize species and ecosystems, or species of local interest)

Step 4: concentrate on these areas and initiate trade-off analysis to define acceptable boundaries/measures to protect species life cycle and essential habitats

Step 5: Work in network and promote management bodies cooperation (especially between marine and terrestrial authorities) to ensure that the life cycles of these species are completely covered and that the protection from terrestrial and seaside are coherent. A list of common species and coherent calendar of management actions need to be establish between management bodies.

Considering the nature of the question with the goal of effectively managing conservation areas in both terrestrial and marine zones, connectivity of habitats and species should remain a focal point at each step of the process. ESE1 Ecological Macro-Criteria Stability (inner criteria Ecosystem Integrity) depends on the maintenance of connectivity between different biomes, for example an apex predator such as a seabird species that migrates between different realms during its life cycle. As a result the Macro-criteria life cycle critical areas is pivotal, with criteria such as developmental and feeding/foraging habitats, ecological corridors, recruitment areas and nursery grounds being strongly related to this conservation objective. Furthermore, the effective management of terrestrial and marine conservation areas with Step 1 and 2 requires identifying criteria Key functional areas and presence of key functional species (Macro-criterion Functional hotspots) that ideally should be within the list of species of interest and habitats required for the aforementioned species.