Marine biodiversity mapping versus human activities at sea

Event Abstract Back to Event Marine biodiversity mapping versus human activities at sea Jorge M. Gonçalves1* 1 CCMAR, Centre of Marine Sciences - Universidade do Algarve, Portugal Marine habitat mapping, namely the mapping of priority habitats and species, is crucial for biodiversity conservation. Marine cartography is old and has a long tradition in Europe. The first maps were for navigation and fisheries, but nowadays other purposes have emerged such as the will to conserve marine biodiversity and the need to accommodate new activities at sea, such as offshore aquaculture and renewable energy. In Europe, marine habitat mapping follows a standardized habitat classification designated as the European Nature Information System (EUNIS) and there are harmonized maps for the majority of the seas that surround this continent. However, these maps are mainly based on physical and chemical parameters such as depth, bottom type and salinity, with the biological layers being much more incomplete. Marine habitat maps are complex and of difficult extrapolation given the heterogeneity found in the distributions of many marine species and communities. Methods for marine biodiversity assessment are very demanding in terms of using all the logistics associated with direct sampling methods at sea, followed by a prolonged lab processing (taxonomy). Nevertheless, these maps are valuable in terms of basic knowledge of life on our planet, in the definition of Marine Protected Areas (MPA), for the expansion of the NATURA 2000 network to the sea and for fisheries management and maritime spatial planning. The human activities at sea, particularly the most dynamic in spatial terms, such as fishing, are also difficult to map, but with the most advanced geolocation technologies and general access feature such as Automatic Identification System (AIS) it is possible to define the fishing operations with sufficient accuracy. With these tools, and additional biological and economic information, maps can be produced not only about fishing grounds, but also on catch and economic yield per unit of fishing effort and by sea area. Having in mind the aim of implementing a marine biodiversity conservation strategy and promoting the sustainability of the human activities at sea, a good path to follow is the one that encourages the spatial compatibility of those activities, through the use of strict spatial knowledge as a solid base for discussion between stakeholders. Based on the Algarve case study (South of Portugal) the mapping of marine made significant advances with the identification of priority habitats and species under the Habitat Directive and the OSPAR Convention. This knowledge has also been enhanced by the integration of a spatial definition of biodiversity hotspots based on an innovative approach that associated marine ecology metrics with geostatistical tools. In a subsequent phase, human activities were also incorporated into the maps (e.g. fishing, tourism, shipping and energy) and based on optimization algorithms of the cost-benefit ratio some marine areas were proposed to be included in a future network of marine protected areas on the Algarve coast. Keywords: habitat mapping, Fisheries Management, marine spatial planning, biodiversity conservation, Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Conference: XIX Iberian Symposium on Marine Biology Studies, Porto, Portugal, 5 Sep - 9 Sep, 2016. Presentation Type: Plenary Presentation Topic: 1. ECOLOGY, BIODIVERSITY AND VULNERABLE ECOSYSTEMS Citation: Gonçalves JM (2016). Marine biodiversity mapping versus human activities at sea. Front. Mar. Sci. Conference Abstract: XIX Iberian Symposium on Marine Biology Studies. doi: 10.3389/conf.FMARS.2016.05.00091 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 21 Jun 2016; Published Online: 02 Sep 2016. * Correspondence: Dr. Jorge M Gonçalves, CCMAR, Centre of Marine Sciences - Universidade do Algarve, Faro, 8005-139, Portugal, jgoncal@ualg.pt Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Jorge M Gonçalves Google Jorge M Gonçalves Google Scholar Jorge M Gonçalves PubMed Jorge M Gonçalves Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.