Habitat mapping as a tool for conservation and sustainable use of marine resources: Some perspectives from the MAREANO Programme, Norway

Buhl‐Mortensen, Lene; Buhl-Mortensen, Pål; Dolan, Margaret F.J.; Gonzalez-Mirelis, Genoveva

doi:10.1016/j.seares.2014.10.014

Cited by 64 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…To better understand how we can achieve such complex integration of variables, more research and data are needed (Broderick, 2015;Buhl-Mortensen et al, 2015;Hilário et al, 2015), in addition to cross-disciplinary collaborations that will improve the quantity and quality of information available for decision-making (Lent, 2015;Bisack and Magnusson, 2016). A promising endeavor in that vein is the Ecological Marine Units (EMUs) project (Sayre et al, 2017), which offers a baseline three-dimensional global map of marine ecosystems.…”

Section: Data Selection and Fitness For Usementioning

confidence: 99%

“…They have become key for data integration and synthesis to inform decision-making in a variety of contexts (Costello, 2014); in a meta-analysis of marine conservation planning approaches, Leslie (2005) identified that 24 of the 27 cases examined used maps to make decisions. Biodiversity hotspots Bedulli et al, 2002;Allen, 2008 Ecosystem services Galparsoro et al, 2014;Outeiro et al, 2015 Uses of marine resources Buhl-Mortensen et al, 2015;Hossain et al, 2016 Threats to biodiversity Andersen et al, 2004;Harris, 2012 While the ability of maps and models to communicate relevant information about current and predicted states of the environment makes them ideal candidates in any attempt to (re)connect decision-making with science, how do we know that these spatial decision-support tools are conveying the right information? In fact, maps and models have downsides and their use in conservation and policy-making should be carefully examined (Reiss et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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On the Use of Maps and Models in Conservation and Resource Management (Warning: Results May Vary)

Lecours

2017

Front. Mar. Sci.

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Conservation planning and management typically require accurate and spatially explicit data at scales that are relevant for conservation objectives. In marine conservation, these data are often combined with spatial analytical techniques to produce marine habitat maps. While marine habitat mapping is increasingly used to inform conservation efforts, this field is still relatively young and its methods are rapidly evolving. Because conservation efforts do not always specify standards or guidelines for the production of habitat maps, results can vary dramatically. As representations of real environmental characteristics, habitat maps are highly sensitive to how they are produced. In this review paper, I present four concepts that are known to cause variation in spatial representation and prediction of habitats: the methodology used, the quality and scale of the data, and the choice of variables in regards to fitness for use. I then discuss the potential antinomy associated with the use of habitat maps in conservation: while habitat maps have become an invaluable tool to inform and assist decision-making, maps of the same area built using different methods and data may provide dissimilar representations, thus providing different information and possibly leading to different decisions. Exploring the theories and methods that have proved effective in terrestrial conservation and the spatial sciences, and how they can be integrated in marine habitat mapping practices, could help improve maps used to support marine conservation efforts and result in more reliable products to inform conservation decisions. Having a strong, consistent, transparent, repeatable, and science-based protocol for data collection and mapping is essential for effectively supporting decision-makers in developing conservation and management plans. The development of user-friendly tools to assist in the application of such protocol is crucial to a widespread improvement in practices. I discuss the potential to use interactive and collaborative Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to encourage the conservation and management community, from data collectors and mapmakers to decision-makers, to move toward a digital resilience and to develop such science-based protocol. Until standards and protocols are developed, habitat maps should always be interpreted with care, and the methods and metadata associated with their production should always be explicitly stated.

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Section: Data Selection and Fitness For Usementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the Use of Maps and Models in Conservation and Resource Management (Warning: Results May Vary)

Lecours

2017

Front. Mar. Sci.

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“…The MAREANO project mapped an area of 200,000 km 2 from 2006 through 2017. Methods were developed for mapping habitats and biotopes including a procedure for producing maps of predicted biotopes that combined information on the distribution of biological communities with environmental factors and indicators (Buhl- Mortensen et al, 2009;Buhl-Mortensen et al, 2015). Based on the MAREANO mapping, detailed distribution of sensitive and threatened habitats, such as coral gardens and sponge communities, have been provided for the particularly valuable and vulnerable areas identifi ed in the Barents Sea Management Plan (Fig.…”

Section: Marine Areal Database For Norwegian Waters (Mareano)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…3a) and effects on benthic megafauna, like sponges and corals (Buhl-Mortensen et al, 2015). Trawl impacts were quantifi ed by counting trawl marks along video transects; visible impact was most intense at the Tromsøfl aket Bank and in certain regions in the Eggakanten area (Fig.…”

Section: Marine Areal Database For Norwegian Waters (Mareano)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because the management areas defi ned for these northern ecosystems are often large with low human population and infrastructure along the coast, we often lack detailed knowledge of the spatial distribution of vulnerable and/ or productive bottom habitats such as cold-water coral reefs. This challenge has been addressed in Norway by the seafl oor mapping program MARE-ANO (Marine Areal Database for Norwegian Waters: www.mareano.no) that uses multibeam hydroacoustic technology and underwater camera habitat classifi cation (Buhl-Mortensen et al, 2015). In Canada, the distribution of corals on the western Atlantic coast was identifi ed to prevent damage by the fi sheries and petroleum industries (Mortensen et al, 2005;Mortensen et al, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lessons on Marine Protected Area Management in Northern Boreal Regions from the United States and Norway

McDermott¹,

Buhl‐Mortensen²,

Dahle³

et al. 2017

MFR

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The potential exceptional role of a small Baltic boulder reef as a solitary habitat in a sea of mud

Beisiegel

Tauber

Gogina

et al. 2019

Aquatic Conservation

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1. In this study, non-destructive seafloor imaging techniques were employed to assess the benthic community structure of a recently discovered boulder reef within the central Arkona Basin of the Baltic Sea.2. Data indicate that geographical isolation, water column stratification and temporary oxygen deficiency create an exceptional reef habitat in a sea of mud. 3. The reef forms a saline refuge for the deepest and easternmost known population of the plumose sea anemones (Metridium dianthus Ellis, 1768) in the Baltic Sea. 4. Limited connectivity to other reefs and dominance of the aggressively colonizing and planktivorous M. dianthus hamper the recruitment of other species and lead to an overall low invertebrate richness. 5. Large boulders attract ecologically and economically important fish like Baltic cod (Gadus morhua Linnaeus, 1758) that find shelter in the otherwise heavily fished Arkona Basin.6. Despite this very first exploration being only a snapshot of the observed community, findings imply a potential conservation importance of this Germany's deepest known natural habitat type 1170 ('reefs').

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Habitat mapping as a tool for conservation and sustainable use of marine resources: Some perspectives from the MAREANO Programme, Norway

Cited by 64 publications

References 36 publications

On the Use of Maps and Models in Conservation and Resource Management (Warning: Results May Vary)

On the Use of Maps and Models in Conservation and Resource Management (Warning: Results May Vary)

Lessons on Marine Protected Area Management in Northern Boreal Regions from the United States and Norway

The potential exceptional role of a small Baltic boulder reef as a solitary habitat in a sea of mud

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