10.5061/DRYAD.H68BJ
Metcalfe, Kristian
University of Kent
Vaz, Sandrine
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
Engelhard, Georg H.
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
Villanueva, Maria Ching
University of Kent
Smith, Robert J.
University of Kent
Mackinson, Steven
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
Data from: Evaluating conservation and fisheries management strategies by
linking spatial prioritisation software and ecosystem and fisheries
modelling tools
Dryad
dataset
2016
systematic conservation planning
marine spatial zoning
Marxan with Zones
Marxan
Ecospace
marine trophic index
Ecopath with Ecosim
2016-01-28T00:00:00Z
2016-01-28T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12404
129136573 bytes
1
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
1. Well-designed marine protected area (MPA) networks can deliver a range
of ecological, economic and social benefits, and so a great deal of
research has focused on developing spatial conservation prioritization
tools to help identify important areas. 2. However, whilst these software
tools are designed to identify MPA networks that both represent
biodiversity and minimize impacts on stakeholders, they do not consider
complex ecological processes. Thus, it is difficult to determine the
impacts that proposed MPAs could have on marine ecosystem health,
fisheries and fisheries sustainability. 3. Using the eastern English
Channel as a case study, this paper explores an approach to address these
issues by identifying a series of MPA networks using the Marxan and Marxan
with Zones conservation planning software and linking them with a
spatially explicit ecosystem model developed in Ecopath with Ecosim. We
then use these to investigate potential trade-offs associated with
adopting different MPA management strategies. 4. Limited-take MPAs, which
restrict the use of some fishing gears, could have positive benefits for
conservation and fisheries in the eastern English Channel, even though
they generally receive far less attention in research on MPA network
design. 5. Our findings, however, also clearly indicate that no-take MPAs
should form an integral component of proposed MPA networks in the eastern
English Channel, as they not only result in substantial increases in
ecosystem biomass, fisheries catches and the biomass of commercially
valuable target species, but are fundamental to maintaining the
sustainability of the fisheries. 6. Synthesis and applications. Using the
existing software tools Marxan with Zones and Ecopath with Ecosim in
combination provides a powerful policy-screening approach. This could help
inform marine spatial planning by identifying potential conflicts and by
designing new regulations that better balance conservation objectives and
stakeholder interests. In addition, it highlights that appropriate
combinations of no-take and limited-take marine protected areas might be
the most effective when making trade-offs between long-term ecological
benefits and short-term political acceptability.
Conservation planning and ecosystem modelling dataMarxan and Marxan with
Zones conservation planning software files and Ecospace model output files
(Marxan software and associated manuals freely available from:
http://www.uq.edu.au/marxan/). Ecopath, Ecosim and Ecospace models and
supporting technical documentation on parameterisation available on
request from Cefas and Ifremer (Ecopath, Ecosim and Ecospace input data,
composition of functional groups and model parameters included with online
supporting information associated with
publication).Marxan_Ecospace_Files.zip
Europe
English Channel