Transcript Bioregionalisation of the Southern Ocean – data needs

Bioregionalisation of the Southern Ocean
– conservation applications & data needs
Susie Grant
British Antarctic Survey
[email protected]
Why do we need marine protected & managed areas in
the Southern Ocean?
• maintain the integrity of representative examples of marine ecosystems
• protection for unique, rare, or high biodiversity areas
• reference sites for scientific research
• multiple-use areas to coordinate activities and minimise cumulative impacts
• support for fisheries management, e.g. areas for critical life-history stages
• protection for vulnerable or sensitive areas
• maintain critical aspects of ecosystem function, e.g. highly productive areas
• increase resilience to climate change or other environmental changes
What is missing from the current system of
protected areas?
• Representative examples of major marine ecosystems
• Offshore / deep ocean areas
• Areas of critical ecosystem function
• Vulnerable areas
• Large-scale scientific reference sites
• Areas to increase resilience to the impacts of climate change
What is bioregionalisation?
“A process to classify marine areas from a range of data on environmental
attributes. The process results in a set of bioregions, each reflecting a
unifying set of major environmental influences which shape the occurrence
of biota and their interaction with the physical environment.”
(2005 CCAMLR MPAs Workshop)
“Simplifying the complex relationship between environment and species
distributions, and capturing spatial patterns in the distribution of species
and habitats at different scales.”
(2007 CCAMLR Bioregionalisation Workshop)
Bioregionalisation
of the Southern
Ocean
Clustering analysis
on bathymetry, sea
surface temp, and
nutrient model data
– grouping areas
with similar
characteristics.
Secondary bioregionalisation (based on depth, SST, silicate, nitrate, chl-a &
ice concentration) – used by CCAMLR to identify areas of highest
environmental heterogeneity, as ‘priority areas’ in which further work to
identify MPAs should be focused.
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1
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2
10
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11
Systematic
conservation
planning
1) Define planning region
2) Compile relevant biodiversity data
3) Set conservation objectives
4) Review existing conservation areas
5) Identify additional conservation areas
South Orkney Islands southern shelf MPA
• Designated by
CCAMLR in
November 2009.
• First MPA to be
established entirely
within the High Seas.
• 94,000 km2
• No fishing or
dumping of wastes;
limited scientific
research.
• Total area south of
60ºS now under strict
protection is 0.5%.
Global commitment for nations to:
“establish comprehensive, effectively managed, and ecologically
representative networks of marine protected areas by 2012”
World Summit on Sustainable Development, 2001
CCAMLR milestones towards the 2012 deadline:
• By 2010, collate relevant data for as many of the 11 priority regions as
possible (and other regions as appropriate), and characterise each region in
terms of biodiversity patterns and ecosystem processes, physical
environmental features and human activities.
• By 2011, identify candidate areas for protection in as many of the priority
regions as possible (and other regions as appropriate), based on the collated
data and regional characterisations, and using appropriate selection methods.
• By end 2011, submit proposals for candidate areas for protection to the
CCAMLR Scientific Committee.
• By 2012, submit proposals on a representative system of Southern Ocean
MPAs to the CCAMLR Commission.