Evidence gaps and biodiversity threats facing the marine environment of the United Kingdom’s Overseas Territories

Abstract

Understanding the evidence base and identifying threats to the marine environment is critical to ensure cost-effective management and to identify priorities for future research. The United Kingdom (UK) government is responsible for approximately 2% of the world's oceans, most of which belongs to its 14 Overseas Territories (UKOTs). Containing biodiversity of global significance, and far in excess of the UK mainland's domestic species, there has recently been a strong desire from many of the UKOTs, the UK Government, and NGOs to improve marine management in these places. Implementing evidence-based marine policy is, however, challenged by the disparate nature of scientific research in the UKOTs and knowledge gaps about the threats they face. Here, we address these issues by systematically searching for scientific literature which has examined UKOT marine biodiversity and by exploring publicly available spatial threat data. We find that UKOT marine biodiversity has received consistent, but largely low, levels of scientific interest, and there is considerable geographical and subject bias in research effort. Of particular concern is the lack of research focus on management or threats to biodiversity. The extent and intensity of threats vary amongst and within the UKOTs but unsurprisingly, climate change associated threats affect them all and direct human stressors are more prevalent in those with higher human populations. To meet global goals for effective conservation and management, there is an urgent need for additional and continued investment in research and management in the Overseas Territories, particularly those that have been of lesser focus.

Ensuring the Sustainability of Coastal Small-Scale Fisheries at Pitcairn Island (South Pacific) Within a Large Scale No-Take MPA

“…The MPA extends for 839,479 km 2 to the outer limit of the islands' Economic Exclusion Zone (EEZ) ( 1 accessed February 2021). As such, it stands as one of the largest fully protected Marine Protected Areas on the planet (O'Leary et al, 2018). As a result of the MPA consultation, sustainable traditional fishing activities were allowed to continue around the islands and the occasionally visited 40 Mile Reef, which sits atop Adams seamount, approximately 40 miles from Pitcairn Island itself.…”

Pulling Back the Blue Curtain: A Pelagic Monitoring Program for the Blue Belt

“…A number of these criticisms are those that better evidence would help resolve, addressing the so-called burden of proof (Willis et al, 2003). For instance, criticisms that LSMPAs do not achieve conservation goals nor address transboundary challenges such as climate change and pollution can be empirically addressed, However, the combination of a limited number of no-take pelagic LSMPAs in which to test hypotheses around conservation outcomes and the challenges of working in remote, inaccessible and vast habitats on notoriously difficult-to-sample pelagic species (Letessier et al, 2017) has constrained our ability to provide evidence to date (O'Leary et al, 2019). This Perspective reviews current advances in video-based monitoring of pelagic wildlife using mid-water stereo-baited remote underwater video systems (mid-water BRUVS).…”

Impacts of stormwater on coastal ecosystems: the need to match the scales of management objectives and solutions

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