Biodiversité

Most of the ‘paper parks’ - or MPAs that fall short of safeguarding marine biodiversity - are located in Latin America and the Caribbean.

A recent comment piece in Nature argues that Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) provide a mechanism to support effective biodiversity conservation, while protecting the rights and livelihoods of local & Indigenous communities.

OECMs are designated areas that are achieving the effective in-situ conservation of biodiversity outside of protected areas. The guiding principles, common characteristics and criteria for the identification of OECMs were agreed in 2018 by Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

Tropical coral reefs are subject to multiple pressures from both natural and anthropogenic sources. These pressures have caused widespread declines in reef health, resulting in the increased use of spatial management tools such as marine protected areas (MPAs). MPAs have proven generally effective if well designed and enforced, but there are limited long-term studies investigating how the presence of small-scale MPAs affects fish populations and reef communities. Using a 12-year time series, we found that small-scale (10–50 ha) community-managed MPAs along the Danajon Bank of the Philippines preserved average fish biomass within their boundaries over time relative to surrounding fished reefs. Unprotected areas are, however, showing significant long-term biomass decline. MPAs were also found to preserve more key trophic groups and larger-bodied commercially targeted reef fish families.

Researchers from the University of Plymouth have contributed to a new book addressing some of the most pressing challenges in marine conservation.

Quelque 17 espèces de raies et requins sur les 58 dernièrement évaluées sont désormais classées à risque d'extinction, selon l'Union internationale pour la conservation de la nature (UICN), qui publie un bilan plus détaillé et inquiétant que les précédents. "Nos résultats sont alarmants, mais pas surprenants", souligne Nicholas Dulvy, professeur à l'université Simon Fraser (Canada) et co-président du Groupe d'experts requins de l'UICN (174 spécialistes issus de 55 pays)

Au sommaire de la revue parue le 2 février 2023 notamment :

ARCHÉOLOGUES EN PLONGÉE : UNE JOURNÉE AUX SANGUINAIRES par Maud Lénée-Corrèze

LA SCIENCE DES VAGUES : DE L'OBSERVATION À LA PRÉDICTION
par Nikolas Jumelle

This report, on the socio-economic impacts of MPAs, found that there had been localised positive and negative impacts on coastal communities and industries, linked to MPA management measures.

Des scientifiques recommandent notamment « une combinaison de fermetures temporaires des pêcheries problématiques » et l’utilisation de « pingers »

Même si on sait déjà que la surpêche mondiale menace des ressources essentielles pour l'humanité, il...