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Overhauling ocean spatial planning to improve marine megafauna conservation

Citation

Sequeira, AMM and Hays, GC and Sims, DW and Eguiluz, VM and Rodriguez, JP and Heupel, MR and Harcourt, R and Calich, H and Queiroz, N and Costa, DP and Fernandez-Gracia, J and Ferreira, LC and Goldsworthy, SD and Hindell, MA and Lea, M-A and Meekan, MG and Pagano, AM and Shaffer, SA and Reisser, J and Thums, M and Weise, M and Duarte, CM, Overhauling ocean spatial planning to improve marine megafauna conservation, Frontiers in Marine Science, 6, (NOV) Article 639. ISSN 2296-7745 (2019) [Refereed Article]


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Copyright Statement

Copyright 2019 Sequeira, Hays, Sims, Eguiluz, Rodriguez, Heupel, Harcourt, Calich, Queiroz, Costa, Fernandez-Gracia, Ferreira, Goldsworthy, Hindell, Lea, Meekan, Pagano, Shaffer, Reisser, Thums, Weise and Duarte. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

DOI: doi:10.3389/fmars.2019.00639

Abstract

Tracking data have led to evidence-based conservation of marine megafauna, but a disconnect remains between the many 1000s of individual animals that have been tracked and the use of these data in conservation and management actions. Furthermore, the focus of most conservation efforts is within Exclusive Economic Zones despite the ability of these species to move 1000s of kilometers across multiple national jurisdictions. To assist the goal of the United Nations General Assembly’s recent effort to negotiate a global treaty to conserve biodiversity on the high seas, we propose the development of a new frontier in dynamic marine spatial management. We argue that a global approach combining tracked movements of marine megafauna and human activities at-sea, and using existing and emerging technologies (e.g., through new tracking devices and big data approaches) can be applied to deliver near real-time diagnostics on existing risks and threats to mitigate global risks for marine megafauna. With technology developments over the next decade expected to catalyze the potential to survey marine animals and human activities in ever more detail and at global scales, the development of dynamic predictive tools based on near real-time tracking and environmental data will become crucial to address increasing risks. Such global tools for dynamic spatial and temporal management will, however, require extensive synoptic data updates and will be dependent on a shift to a culture of data sharing and open access. We propose a global mechanism to store and make such data available in near real-time, enabling a holistic view of space use by marine megafauna and humans that would significantly accelerate efforts to mitigate impacts and improve conservation and management of marine megafauna.

Item Details

Item Type:Refereed Article
Keywords:global ocean conservation and policy, real-time management, marine megafauna tracking data, Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, global repository, improved data sharing, Global Ocean Observing System
Research Division:Environmental Sciences
Research Group:Environmental management
Research Field:Environmental assessment and monitoring
Objective Division:Environmental Management
Objective Group:Terrestrial systems and management
Objective Field:Assessment and management of terrestrial ecosystems
UTAS Author:Hindell, MA (Professor Mark Hindell)
UTAS Author:Lea, M-A (Professor Mary-Anne Lea)
ID Code:135665
Year Published:2019
Web of Science® Times Cited:40
Deposited By:Ecology and Biodiversity
Deposited On:2019-11-07
Last Modified:2020-01-29
Downloads:21 View Download Statistics

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