Global Marine Biodiversity Conservation: Priorities and Strategies

Introduction

Conservation of ocean and marine life has attracted significant attention in recent years given the devastating impacts of human activities on these ecosystems. This paper examines a study conducted to promote conservation of marine and ocean life across the globe. The review demonstrates the significance of combining policy interventions and management interventions to achieve meaningful conservation outcomes.

Background: The Importance and Threats to Marine Ecosystems

Ocean and marine areas cover approximately 71% of the Earth's surface. Even though the depths of these areas are yet to be fully explored or exploited, they are habitats for a vast portion of the world's biodiversity and play an essential role in regulating global climate (Addis, p. 5). Marine biodiversity is recognized across the globe as an essential component of life not only in the oceans, but also on Earth. The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development states that ocean and marine areas are key components of the Earth's ecosystem to an extent that without them, life on Earth would be difficult and relatively impossible in its current form (p. 3). The significance of ocean and marine areas to life on Earth is attributable to their role in regulating the climate and producing oxygen. Despite this global recognition, ocean and marine life conservation has emerged as a major issue in today's society given the devastating impacts of human activities on the Earth's ecosystem.

Katsanevakis et al. state that cumulative human effects have contributed to the degradation of marine ecosystems, especially in developed countries in the European region (p. 2). Ocean and marine ecosystems are increasingly under threat from human activities, particularly industrialization. For example, 90% of the global fish stocks in today's ocean and marine ecosystems are regarded as having been either fully exploited or overfished beyond sustainability. Additionally, other biodiverse habitats such as coral reefs, mangrove forests, and seagrass beds are under serious threat. The significant threat posed by human activities on ocean and marine ecosystems continues to endanger human life. The overfishing or exploitation of fish resources beyond sustainable levels affects between 10% and 12% of the global population that depends on the fisheries industry to earn a living, with most of these people living in developing countries.

Moreover, these human activities endanger the ability of ocean and marine areas to regulate climate. Currently, the world has experienced significant increases in water temperatures and ocean acidification, which carry serious ramifications for both ecosystems and human populations.

Given the devastating impacts and threats to ocean and marine ecosystems, the issue of conservation has attracted significant attention in the international policy agenda. Ocean and marine conservation has been the subject of regional and international agreements, as sustainable use of marine, ocean, and sea resources is considered critical to the preservation of human life. The need for preservation of ocean and marine areas is attributable to the fact that without conservation, many marine species populations may be susceptible to extinction and ongoing decline due to numerous local, regional, and international threats relating to human activities (Polidoro et al., p. 1). As a result, numerous studies have been conducted on conservation of ocean and marine life, focusing on different aspects of this topic — particularly various approaches and strategies that can be utilized to protect these ecosystems and identify evidence-based solutions.

Materials and Methods

Since no original fieldwork was conducted for this review, existing studies on the topic were identified and examined. One of the studies carried out to explore ocean and marine life conservation is a study conducted by a group of researchers led by Elizabeth R. Selig. This study was selected on the premise that it addresses the topic from a global perspective, given that the devastating impacts of human activity on marine ecosystems are felt worldwide. Selig et al. examined current international priorities for marine biodiversity conservation on the premise that marine populations worldwide continue to experience declines in abundance due to widespread human activities (Selig et al., p. 1). The researchers also proceeded on the basis that identification of priority areas — such as hotspots, ecoregions, or high-biodiversity wilderness areas — has been a critical tool in conservation planning for ocean and marine ecosystems.

For this study, the researchers used modeled species distribution data in which 12,497 species from various sources were included. The distribution data was used to obtain the greatest possible taxonomic coverage. The species for which distribution data was selected covered over 21 phyla from 966 different ocean and marine families. In addition, the researchers utilized an online species distribution modeling tool known as AquaMaps, which generates standardized digital range maps of aquatic species. The researchers acknowledged that modeled species distribution databases are characterized by inaccuracies; however, these databases play an important role in conservation measures because they represent the most detailed and highest-resolution data on biodiversity distribution. The inclusion of AquaMaps in the study is also attributable to the environmental niche envelope model it incorporates, as well as its use of species-specific habitat data obtained from occurrence records published in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

To achieve the purpose of the study, Selig et al. calculated species richness and both metrics of endemism across all species distributions incorporated in the research. These calculations, which formed the basis of this quantitative study, were conducted within an international grid of 2,591.4 km². During this process, all species were assigned to hexagons depending on the overlap between the polygon data, hexagon grid, and the raster grid.

According to the Convention on Biological Diversity, ocean and marine conservation requires consideration of all metrics of biodiversity and ecosystems (p. 11). In this regard, Selig et al. incorporated all relevant metrics of biodiversity — proportional range rarity, rarity, and richness — into their calculations. This entailed using a standard area-based mechanism for identifying areas with the highest diversity. The determination of suitable conservation measures also involved examining the level of human impact on high-biodiversity areas through spatially explicit cumulative impact data. The process additionally incorporated a 10% area threshold for effect values, used for preliminary analysis and identification of management interventions capable of dealing with a wider range of human impact levels. Selig et al. developed six categories of marine spatial priorities based on the classifications of the various measures of biodiversity.

This quantitative research also involved conducting validation and sensitivity analyses, which played a critical role in enhancing the credibility and reliability of the findings. A key aspect of these analyses involved modeling every species range distribution dataset in order to recreate distributions. In addition, the researchers conducted a linear regression between normalized species richness values and values provided by Tittensor et al. (p. 1100). The normalized species richness values from Tittensor et al. focus on relatively different aspects of species and utilize different processes to create species range maps based on different observation points.

Conclusion

Preservation of ocean and marine life is increasingly critical in modern society given the accelerating depletion of natural resources essential for human life and survival. Human activities have continued to deplete and over-exploit ocean and marine resources such as fisheries, posing significant threats to the survival and wellbeing of human populations across the globe. The issue of conservation of ocean and marine life has therefore attracted considerable attention in recent years. This study provides significant insights regarding conservation through the identification of priority areas. A combination of policy and management interventions is required to effectively protect ocean and marine life for future generations.

Works Cited

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Katsanevakis, et al. "Advancing Marine Conservation in European and Contiguous Seas with the MarCons Action." Research Ideas and Outcomes 3.E1184 (n.d.): 1–16. Print.

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Selig et al. "Global Priorities for Marine Biodiversity Conservation." PLoS ONE 9.1 (2014): 1–11. Print.

Tittensor et al. "Global Patterns and Predictors of Marine Biodiversity across Taxa." Nature 466 (2010): 1098–1101. Print.

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