Systematic Conservation Planning at an Ocean Basin Scale: Identifying a Viable Network of Deep-Sea Protected Areas in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean

Abstract

Designing conservation networks requires a well-structured framework for achieving essential objectives such as connectivity, replication or viability, and for considering local management and socioeconomic stakes. Although systematic conservation planning (SCP) approaches are increasingly used to inform such networks, their application remains challenging in large and poorly researched areas. This is especially the case in the deep sea, where SCP has rarely been applied, although growing awareness of the vulnerability of deep-sea ecosystems urges the implementation of conservation measures from local to international levels. This study aims to structure and evaluate a framework for SCP applicable to the deep sea, focusing on the identification of conservation priority networks for vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs), such as cold-water coral reefs, sponge grounds, or hydrothermal vents, and for key demersal fish species. Based on multi-objective prioritization, different conservation scenarios were investigated, allowing the impact of key elements such as connectivity and conservation cost to be evaluated. Our results show that continental margin slopes, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and deeper areas of large and productive shelves housing fishing grounds appeared as crucial zones for preserving the deep-sea biodiversity of the North Atlantic, and within the limitations imposed by the data available, of the Mediterranean. Using biologically-informed connectivity led to a more continuous and denser conservation network, without increasing the network size. Even when minimizing the overlap with socioeconomic activities, the inclusion of exploited areas was necessary to fulfil conservation objectives. Such areas included continental shelf fishing grounds for demersal fish species, and areas covered by deep-sea mining exploration contracts for hydrothermal vent communities. Covering 17% of the study area and protecting 55% of each feature on average, the identified priority network held a high conservation potential. However, these areas still suffer from poor protection, with 30% of them benefiting from some form of recognition and 11% only from protection against trawling. Integrating them into current marine spatial planning (MSP) discussions could foster the implementation of a basin-scale conservation network for the deep sea. Overall, this work established a framework for developing large-scale systematic planning, useful for managing Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ).

A blueprint for integrating scientific approaches and international communities to assess basin-wide ocean ecosystem status

“…Ban et al 90 describe the key benefits of systematic planning relative to sector-specific or ad hoc approaches, including transparency, inclusiveness, integration, and efficiency. Recently Combes et al 91 used this approach to identify potential priority areas for protection across the North Atlantic and van Denderen et al 92 developed a data-driven approach to provide management options to protect VMEs.…”

Asmarat inventory interpretation for tourism land use planning and growth management

“…Any planning activity to begin, all major members must involve the community and the public to take their views on planning initiatives. This planning is done to enable the community to enjoy the benefits that come from "land use planning [4]. To plan and organize the use of land many features and conflicts in the area, we will address some of them.…”

“…Financial motivation, developing the human resource, and Forecasting developments through making strategies and how to deal with them, and involve the community, and employees in decisionmaking, and developing, updating future visions, dealing with events by preparing scenarios, impartial and flexible monitoring to achieve the goal and not be bound by regulations and laws and achieving the goals of institutes [4], solving modern problems that occur in the community, seeking to use the available material human energies, protecting interests preserving resources and people, Improving income, increasing production and developing social relations.…”

Extending deep-sea benthic biodiversity inventories with environmental DNA metabarcodingExtending deep-sea benthic biodiversity inventories with environmental DNA metabarcoding

“…The deep sea, composed of the water column and sea oor below a depth of 200m (Ramirez-Llodra et al In spite of the value and the high levels of biodiversity, the deep sea is threatened by overexploitation of sheries and other natural resources, pollution as well as more indirect threats from climate change (Paulus 2021). Formal protection of deep-sea environments remain rare, particularly in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (Baco et al 2016;Johnson et al 2018;Combes et al 2021). As such, there remains an urgent need to better characterize the deep sea so that the effects of threats on deepsea environments can be understood and better managed (Johnson et al 2018).…”