A general model for designing networks of marine reserves

Science

Volumn 298, Issue 5600, 2002, Pages 1991-1993

  Sala, Enric ^a   Aburto Oropeza, Octavio ^b   Paredes, Gustavo ^a   Parra, Ivan ^c   Barrera, Juan C ^c   Dayton, Paul K ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA   (United States)

^b Univ Autonoma Baja CA Sur La Paz   (Mexico)

^c World Wildlife Fund   (Mexico)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

ALGORITHMS; BIODIVERSITY; DECISION MAKING; ECOLOGY; ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL EFFECTS; OCEAN HABITATS; OPTIMIZATION;

MARINE RESERVE NETWORKS;

MARINE BIOLOGY;

BIODIVERSITY; CONNECTIVITY; ECOLOGICAL MODELING; MARINE PARK; PROTECTED AREA; RESERVE DESIGN;

ALGORITHM; ARTICLE; BIODIVERSITY; CONSERVATION BIOLOGY; DECISION MAKING; ECOLOGY; HABITAT STRUCTURE; MARINE ENVIRONMENT; NONHUMAN; PRIORITY JOURNAL; SOCIOECONOMICS; SPAWNING;

ANIMALS; CALIFORNIA; COMPUTER SIMULATION; CONSERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES; ECOSYSTEM; ENVIRONMENT; FISHERIES; FISHES; INVERTEBRATES; MODELS, BIOLOGICAL; SEAWATER;

EID: 2242428910     PISSN: 00368075     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1126/science.1075284     Document Type: Article

References (35)

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25. Variability in ocean currents, spawning seasons, larval life histories, and dispersal distances (from meters to hundreds of kilometers) (10, 27) makes it virtually impossible to obtain a single value to measure connectivity between sites for all taxonomic groups. This suggests that marine reserves will not benefit all species evenly (27). However, not all species are equally threatened by anthropogenic activities. Although nontargeted, low-dispersal species may be preserved by creating small reserves (32), for heavily affected species we need to consider connectivity between reserves (14). Therefore, we focused on connectivity when considering vulnerable species. A study on the dispersal of grouper larvae in the Gulf of California indicates that average dispersal distances may be on the order of 150 km (33). Thus, to establish meaningful connectivity between reserves, we determined that they should be spread as evenly as possible throughout the Gulf of California, and we assumed that other commercial fishes, with similar larval life-spans to that of groupers, may have similar larval dispersal patterns. Moreover, marine fishes have a mean dispersal distance of ∼100 km (27). To ensure sufficient dispersal of the larvae of vulnerable fishes between reserves, and between reserves and unprotected areas, we assumed that the largest gap between reserves should not exceed 100 km.
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35. This paper is dedicated to Bob Johannes, who died 4 September 2002. We thank S. Andelman, L. Botsford, J. Jackson, N. Knowlton, G. Sugihara, R. Warner, and three anonymous referees for comments on the manuscript; D. Wesson for her thoughtful discussions and critical editorial comments on the manuscript; E. Ballesteros, C. Sanchez, and all the Mexican students who helped in the field; and P. Beller, M. Carvajal, L. Findley, S. Acuña, T. Pfister, L. Fichman, J. Curtiss, and A. Tomba for providing advice and logistic support. Special thanks to M. Moreno and V. Noriega for assistance with the Geographic Information System and computer programming. This research is part of a larger effort led by the World Wildlife Fund, Conservation International, and other nongovernmental organizations and academic institutions to design a network of marine reserves in the Gulf of California and to work with the Mexican government for its implementation (34). We are grateful to the Instituto Nacional de Ecología of México for providing research permits and to the Moore Family Foundation, The Tinker Foundation, the Robins Family Foundation, the Gulf of California Program - World Wildlife Fund, N. Roberts, and B. Brummit for funding.