I'm making a thesis about Marine protected areas and how effective they are at preserving coral reefs. What would be good factors to consider regarding the health of the reef and the overall health of the ecosystem?
Gabriel,
Attached are a few papers that should help you to get going. Hope this helps.
Tom
Gabriel,
The following web site just became available, it's a great source of information on many aspects on MPAs.
http://marineprotectedareas.noaa.gov/sciencestewardship/
Tom
Here's our approach - to simply start (this is no way complete of course) with mapping where the most damaging activities are banned overlayed on top of where MPAs are designated..... https://map.mpa-reality-check.org/ and a webinar to explain this - https://vimeo.com/262449058
Sometimes measuring ecological variables is expensive. As such, simply seeing the Management interventions can help as a surrogate for working out how effective MPAs can be.
Ecological metrics:
1. species diversity indeces.
2. 3-dimensional heterogeneity of the substrate.
3. Live coral cover (for MPAs).
4. Reef and/or sediment and/or pelagic associated fish densities and biomass estimates (need to be defined a priori to the set up of the MPA itself).
5. Species and habitat increase in extent or quality that support essential ecosystem processes (e.g. seagrass, mangroves, rich benthic communities on sediments).
Management metrics:
1. No trawl zones
2. No take zones
3. No development zones
4. No dumping zones
5. No pollution areas.
Social and economic metrics:
1. jobs in fishing
2. jobs in tourism
3. willing to pay indeces.
4. visits by non-commercial sector.
5. valuation of enhanced ecosystem goods and services.
6. Natural capital valuation of changed system.
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