Environmental licensing on rhodolith beds: insights from a worm

Santos, Cinthya Simone Gomes; Lino, Jaqueline Barreto; Veras, Priscila de Cerqueira; Amado‐Filho, Gilberto M.; Francini‐Filho, Ronaldo B.; Motta, Fábio S.; Moura, Rodrigo L.; Pereira-Filho, Guilherme H.

doi:10.1016/j.ncon.2016.06.002

Cited by 21 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…This atoll is approximately 150 km west of the Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, with which it shares some endemic species (Soares, Lotufo, et al., ). MEs in the Rocas Atoll (Amado‐Filho et al., ) and Fernando de Noronha Archipelago have been recently described (Amado‐Filho, Pereira‐Filho, et al., ; Pereira‐Filho et al., ; Santos et al., ). In these studies, rhodolith beds were reported as the principal seascape.…”

Section: Recent Advances In Knowledge About the South Atlantic Mesmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…It is therefore crucial to carefully evaluate the exploitation of these marine resources and assess possible environmental risks associated with mining activities, considering their direct and indirect impacts on MEs (Creed et al., ; Silva, Etnoyer, & MacDonald, ). It is also important to note that these activities are already subject to environmental licensing in Brazil (Santos et al., ; Soares, Lotufo, et al., ) and therefore require a detailed description of the MEs and the effects of the proposed activities.…”

Section: Human Pressures On the South Atlantic Mesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The current scarcity of information on the structure and functioning of the SAO MEs should not limit conservation action and the management of these ecosystems. The “precautionary principle,” known in maritime and environmental laws (Santos et al., ), should be adopted in this case and consider the recent and future human pressures. Therefore, considering the economic activities with environmental impacts on MEs (Supporting Information Appendix ), we suggest five main management and conservation actions: (a) adoption of ocean zoning (Yates, Schoeman, & Klein, ) and large marine spatial planning (Dunstan et al., ); (b) creation and expansion of marine protected areas (MPAs) using systematic conservation planning; (c) rigorous fishing regulations and environmental licensing for human activities, based on sound scientific knowledge; (d) reduction in carbon emissions to the atmosphere, considering the vulnerability of MEs to ocean acidification and SST anomalies; and (e) extending environmental monitoring programs to include the South Atlantic MEs.…”

Section: Future Directions: Research and Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mesophotic ecosystems: Distribution, impacts and conservation in the South Atlantic

Soares

Tavares

Carneiro

2018

Diversity and Distributions

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Aim: This study reviews recent research on the South Atlantic Mesophotic ecosystems (MEs) and the pressures threatening them, and offers suggestions for their management and conservation. Location:The South Atlantic Ocean. Methods:A comprehensive compilation of the scientific literature was performed to examine the distribution, human impacts and conservation status of the South Atlantic MEs. Results: Our review indicated that the South Atlantic Ocean (SAO) is one of the majorMEs areas in the world's oceans. The South Atlantic MEs are composed of a mosaic of distinct seascapes, mainly rhodolith beds, mesophotic reefs (i.e., rocky and biogenic) and marine animal forests (e.g., sponge aggregations, octocoral and black coral forests) that occur along the East South American and West African coasts, seamounts and oceanic islands. Throughout the SAO, the distinct seascapes of MEs are usually formed on the middle and outer continental shelves, shelf-edge, seamounts, submarine canyons, incised valleys and paleochannels, reef structures and insular shelves. We highlighted sea temperature anomalies, ocean acidification, extreme floods and droughts, fisheries, invasive species, marine debris, mining, and oil and gas exploitation as major threats to these ecosystems. Main conclusions:Given the threats to the South Atlantic MEs, growing human pressures may degrade these ecosystems in the next years and undermine their unique biodiversity as well as their potential to provide connectivity between regions and depths. Our review revealed the existence of some extensive and unprotected formations, which urgently demand in-depth investigations and conservation action. K E Y W O R D S climate change, coral reef, deep-sea refugia, marine biogeography, marine conservation, rhodolith bed 1 | INTRODUC TI ON Developments in the marine sciences, especially in terms of methodology and equipment, have allowed the exploration of progressively deeper oceanic zones, providing a more detailed picture of the hidden biodiversity in mesophotic ecosystems (MEs; Loya, Eyal, Treibitz, Lesser, & Appeldoorn, 2016). These ecosystems are characterized by the presence of light-dependent corals and associated species (e.g.,

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Section: Recent Advances In Knowledge About the South Atlantic Mesmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Human Pressures On the South Atlantic Mesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Future Directions: Research and Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mesophotic ecosystems: Distribution, impacts and conservation in the South Atlantic

Soares

Tavares

Carneiro

2018

Diversity and Distributions

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“…Rhodolith beds comprise a major but belittled reef fish habitat within the SWA, and should be urgently prioritized in marine spatial planning, licensing and fisheries management. While carbonates’ mining and oil and gas exploitation in reefs are banned in Brazil, these activities are steadily growing in rhodolith beds, which are often categorized as rubble with low importance for biodiversity conservation 36 . Quantitative assessments covering the broad spectrum of reef fish habitats are needed for robust inferences about rarity/conservation status and the habitat range of these vertebrates, which play a major role in healthy ecosystem functioning.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tropical rhodolith beds are a major and belittled reef fish habitat

Moura

Abieri

Castro

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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Understanding habitat-level variation in community structure provides an informed basis for natural resources’ management. Reef fishes are a major component of tropical marine biodiversity, but their abundance and distribution are poorly assessed beyond conventional SCUBA diving depths. Based on a baited-video survey of fish assemblages in Southwestern Atlantic’s most biodiverse region we show that species composition responded mainly to the two major hard-bottom megahabitats (reefs and rhodolith beds) and to the amount of light reaching the bottom. Both megahabitats encompassed typical reef fish assemblages but, unexpectedly, richness in rhodolith beds and reefs was equivalent. The dissimilar fish biomass and trophic structure in reefs and rhodolith beds indicates that these systems function based on contrasting energy pathways, such as the much lower herbivory recorded in the latter. Rhodolith beds, the dominant benthic megahabitat in the tropical Southwestern Atlantic shelf, play an underrated role as fish habitats, and it is critical that they are considered in conservation planning.

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“…In addition, proposing specific solutions for regions not only defined by geopolitical needs. While many marine conservation decisions are still based on the precautionary principle [107], uncertainties in predicting environmental impacts have been evoqued by economic groups as a reason for the approval environmental licenses [108]. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Farther the Better: Effects of Multiple Environmental Variables on Reef Fish Assemblages along a Distance Gradient from River Influences

et al. 2016

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The conservation and management of site-attached assemblages of coastal reefs are particularly challenging because of the tremendous environmental variation that exists at small spatial scales. In this sense, understanding the primary sources of variation in spatial patterns of the biota is fundamental for designing effective conservation policies. We investigated spatial variation in fish assemblages around the windward and leeward sides of coastal islands situated across a gradient of riverine influence (13 km in length). Specifically, relationships between rocky reef fish assemblages and benthic, topographic and physical predictors were assessed. We hypothesized that river induced disturbances may overcome local habitat features in modeling spatial patterns of fish distribution. Fish assemblages varied primarily due to the strong directional gradient of riverine influence (22.6% of the estimated components of variation), followed by topographic complexity (15%), wave exposure (9.9%), and benthic cover (8%). The trophic structure of fish assemblages changed from having a high abundance of invertebrate feeders in macroalgae-dominated reefs close to river mouths to a high proportion of herbivores, planktivores and invertebrate feeder species in reefs with large boulders covered by epilithic algal matrices, as the distance from rivers increased. This gradient led to an increase of 4.5-fold in fish richness and fish trophic group diversity, 11-fold in fish biomass and 10-fold in fish abundance. Our results have implications for the conservation and monitoring of assemblages patchily distributed at small spatial scales. The major role of distance from river influences on fish assemblages rather than benthic cover and topographic complexity suggest that managing land-based activities should be a conservation priority toward reef restoration.

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Environmental licensing on rhodolith beds: insights from a worm

Cited by 21 publications

References 23 publications

Mesophotic ecosystems: Distribution, impacts and conservation in the South Atlantic

Mesophotic ecosystems: Distribution, impacts and conservation in the South Atlantic

Tropical rhodolith beds are a major and belittled reef fish habitat

The Farther the Better: Effects of Multiple Environmental Variables on Reef Fish Assemblages along a Distance Gradient from River Influences

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