Ecosystem management and approach

Question 1

How it works

Answer 1

Whole ecosystem appropriate unit of conservation
Conserve fisheries as part of ESs - from tourism to climate regulation
Includes people as part of the system

Question 2

Protecting marine habitats

Answer 2

Huge oceanic areas in MPAs
Direct effects:
•Stopping fishing and fish will increase
•Biomass typically triples and density will go up by 40%
Indirect (spillover) effects:
• Export of mature individuals - moving out
•Export of larvae (especially for pelagic dispersal and spp of high fecundity)
• Big old fat fecund female effect (BOFFF) - adult females grow to potential in reserve, fecundity increases & potentially could restock fisheries

Question 3

Issues with MPAs

Answer 3

• Positive effects vary and spill-over effects unproven for many
• Some places easy to protect - coral reefs etc.
• Open ocean harder along with migratory species

Question 4

An effective MPA

Answer 4

NEOLI
•No take (fishing)
•Enforced
•Old
•Large
•Isolated (not near humans)
4/5 of these features = success and increases fish biomass
1 or 2 = MPA indistinguishable from normal ocean
Still rare and most ineffective - 90-100 MPAs, only 9 had 4/5 NEOLI