The management and conservation of the world's oceans require synthesis of spatial data on the distribution and intensity of human activities and the overlap of their impacts on marine ecosystems. We developed an ecosystem-specific, multiscale spatial model to synthesize 17 global data sets of anthropogenic drivers of ecological change for 20 marine ecosystems. Our analysis indicates that no area is unaffected by human influence and that a large fraction (41%) is strongly affected by multiple drivers. However, large areas of relatively little human impact remain, particularly near the poles. The analytical process and resulting maps provide flexible tools for regional and global efforts to allocate conservation resources; to implement ecosystem-based management; and to inform marine spatial planning, education, and basic research.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	anthropogenic effect; ecosystem modeling; map; marine ecosystem; spatial distribution; article; ecology; ecosystem; environmental protection; human impact (environment); marine environment; priority journal; research; Animals; Climate; Ecosystem
Research Division:	Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences
Research Group:	Fisheries Sciences
Research Field:	Aquatic Ecosystem Studies and Stock Assessment
Objective Division:	Animal Production and Animal Primary Products
Objective Group:	Fisheries - Wild Caught
Objective Field:	Wild Caught Fin Fish (excl. Tuna)
Author:	Watson, RA (Professor Reginald Watson)
ID Code:	83759
Year Published:	2008
Web of Science® Times Cited:	1916
Deposited By:	Sustainable Marine Research Collaboration
Deposited On:	2013-03-21
Last Modified:	2015-01-20
Downloads:	0