Improving MPA Management

New Marine Science Seminar Series Launches 15th September

The first of the Bertarelli Foundation’s monthly marine science seminars will take place on 15^th September. This online seminar series will invite experts to share their knowledge and experience as we explore important marine science questions and conservation challenges.

This first session will take place online at 1pm (BST) on Tuesday 15^th September and will discuss holistic approaches to island restoration. Chaired by Prof. Heather Koldewey, she will introduce four speakers who are all working on the interface between tropical islands and coral reef systems.

Intact island ecosystems are vitally important for biodiversity conservation. However, more recently, researchers are also considering the role that island ecosystems also play in supporting the health of neighbouring reefs.

Following the short ten-minute talks, attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions – or provide their experience – about this increasingly important topic.

Seminar: Rats, Seabirds and Reefs: Holistic Approaches to Island Restoration

When: Tuesday 15^th September 1pm (BST)

Chair: Professor Heather Koldewey (Zoological Society of London)

Speakers:

Sarah Havery (RSPB) – The Importance of Removing Invasive Species

Sarah Havery is a Senior Species Recovery Officer for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) based in the UK. She received her BSc. (Hons) in Biology from the University of Bristol and her MSc. in Conservation and Biodiversity from the University of Exeter. Sarah has been directly involved in habitat and species recovery work on islands in the Indian Ocean, the South Pacific, the Caribbean and in the UK. Her role at RSPB involves managing conservation programmes to support the recovery of globally threatened species in the UK Overseas Territories and in east Africa. Sarah is also a trustee for the Chagos Conservation Trust and is supporting the development of their Healthy Islands, Healthy Reefs programme.

Dr Araceli Samaniego-Herrera (Landcare Research) – Rat Eradication on Tropical Islands

Araceli’s niche is at the intersection between biodiversity conservation and applied research. As a conservation manager, she has led numerous conservation projects on islands, including 12 rodent eradications—all successful. Her 18-year career in island restoration started in Mexico and expanded internationally to countries including Australia, Belize, Canada, Fiji, French Polynesia, New Zealand and the USA. As a conservation scientist, she aims to advance restoration methods particularly for tropical islands, where challenges are more complex. She uses and promotes technological innovations to maximise conservation effectiveness. She recently joined Landcare Research (New Zealand) and is excited to contribute to awe-inspiring projects such as Predator Free New Zealand.

Peter Carr (University of Exeter) – Is Rat Eradication Enough to Rewild Tropical Islands?

Peter first visited the Chagos Archipelago in 1996 and has been committed to the conservation and rewilding of the islands since. Author of Birds of BIOT (Carr 2011a) and numerous articles and papers on the area’s natural history (e.g. Carr et al. 2013, Carr 2014, Carr 2015), as part of his PhD, he has recently published the definitive account of the breeding seabirds (Carr et al. 2020). While working on Diego Garcia (2008-2013) he raised the funds and led the restoration of the largest expanse of freshwater in the central Indian Ocean, now home to all species of the region’s dragonflies (Carr, 2020). He also 50% funded and led a trial of rewilding abandoned coconut plantations, successfully converting 30 hectare of plantation back to native forest – this project gave the opportunity to over 200 people to become involved in conservation activities on Diego Garcia (Carr 2011b). In 2014, Peter led the first successful eradication of rats from an island in the Chagos Archipelago (Harper et al. 2019). In 2019, he spent eight months on Lord Howe Island as a team leader on the largest rat and mouse eradication project of its kind in the world. Peter is presently finishing his PhD and, is part of the steering committee working towards rewilding the northern atolls of the Chagos Archipelago.

Dr Casey Benkwitt (Lancaster University) – How Rats Influence Coral Reefs

Casey is a marine ecologist who is broadly interested in the behavioural, population, and community ecology of reef fishes, with a focus on how human activities influence these processes. Originally from New Jersey, USA, she earned her B.A. in Environmental Studies and Sociology from Bowdoin College in Maine. While at university, Casey learned to scuba dive, which convinced her of two things – she wanted to conduct marine research and she wanted to do so in warmer waters. After spending a few years as a Fisheries Biologist and then a Marine Science Instructor, Casey earned her PhD in Zoology at Oregon State University studying how invasive lionfish affect native coral-reef fishes in the Caribbean. Casey then worked as a postdoctoral researcher at California State University, Northridge, where she researched the effects of different fishing regimes on sex-changing fishes in kelp forests. Casey is now a postdoc at Lancaster University as part of the Bertarelli Programme in Marine Science. Her current research focuses on how nutrient subsidies from seabirds influence coral reefs, including whether seabird-derived nutrients can boost the resilience of coral-reef communities to climate change and whether management actions to remove invasive rats and restore seabird populations benefit coral reefs.

If you’re interested in joining, please register online here.

Improving MPA Management

Physicists, Biologists and Geneticists Join Forces to Protect the Ocean

Professor Heather Koldewey leads the Bertarelli Foundation’s marine science programme, which is dedicated to advancing our understanding of the ocean. The programme fosters collaborative science that combines the skill sets and disciplines of a range of scientists, all of whom conduct their research in the British Indian Ocean Territory’s Marine Protected Area.

Here, Professor Koldewey describes how the marine science programme helps scientists make progress in this important area, and what she considers to be ocean conservation’s biggest challenges.

Can you explain the collaborative approach that this marine science programme has adopted?

The idea behind the programme is that by bringing together scientists from diverse fields, working on different projects and with their own particular insights, we can solve bigger, more complex problems. Within our team of more than 70 scientists we have a wide range of disciplines including physicists, geneticists, biologists and ecologists and many others; so although everyone’s working in the same study site, everyone approaches the research with their own particular perspective.

For example, physicists are looking at how underwater waves move around seamounts. At the same time, we have biologists studying the distribution of sharks around the same underwater mountains. By working together, they are finding out how the physics of the ocean is affecting where sharks are found. The more you understand these processes, the more you can start to identify “hot spots” where sharks will be found.

How does the Bertarelli Foundation support marine protected areas in particular?

The Bertarelli Foundation played an important role in helping establish the British Indian Ocean Territory’s Marine Protected Area (MPA) in 2010. Since then, the Foundation has worked with the Pew Charitable Trusts to establish new MPAs around the world, including around Easter Island, the Pitcairn Islands and many others. The Bertarelli Foundation is helping to safeguard these large ocean wilderness areas and help governments achieve international targets for ocean protection.

Can you describe some of the more significant results that have arisen thanks to the collaborative approach taken by the marine science programme?

One of the biggest insights has been the relationship between the land and the water – we’ve discovered that what happens on oceanic islands has a huge influence on the neighbouring reefs. For example, there is a much higher biomass and diversity of various reef species adjacent to islands that don’t have rats. These islands are not only much richer in seabirds and natural vegetation, but there’s also evidence suggesting that islands without rats, and therefore healthy bird populations, have better resilience to detrimental events like coral bleaching.

How does this programme link science to policy making?

In the UK, there’s a very large marine science community, but it can be difficult to translate research into effective public discourse. Scientists often focus on their research but the work of this marine science programme ensures that science is used to inform policy, not just in the Indian Ocean but globally.

2020 is the deadline for governments to meet their targets for ocean protection. Programmes like this are providing robust science to give policymakers the ability to make confident decisions and take much needed action.

There are a lot of issues facing ocean conservation today. If you had to choose just one, what do you think is the primary issue that we should be focusing on?

Having worked in ocean conservation for over 25 years I’ve seen many far-reaching changes. Although some are positive – and obviously the creation of marine protected areas is a positive development – they are often overshadowed by concerning declines in marine species and habitats.

If I were to pick just one, the climate crisis would be it. Marine protected areas can build resilience over time but they can’t get to the root cause of the problem. It really is going to be down to policy makers to deliver on their promises such as the Paris Agreement!

Improving MPA Management

UN: Overfishing and Climate Change are Main Threats to Marine Biodiversity

Original post:

UN report: Ocean biodiversity in peril due to overfishing and climate change.

Human activities have significantly altered the marine environment by two-thirds, and climate change has made the situation worse.

A recent UN report paints a devastating picture of the world’s flora and fauna in terrestrial and marine environments. Indeed, the biodiversity of the world’s oceans is declining in a way unparalleled in human history. The Inter-State Science-Policy Platform for Biodiversity Ecosystem Services (IPBES) report has been written by about 150 expert authors from 50 different countries assessing global change to the health of our ecosystems over the past five decades. Only the opening summary of the report has been published so far. The full report is expected to exceed 1,500 pages and will be released later this year.

“The health of the ecosystems we and all other organisms depend on is deteriorating faster than ever before,” IPBES President Sir Robert Watson said in a statement. “We are eroding our economies, livelihoods, food security, health and the quality of life around the world.”

According to the report, climate change is an additional threat, and depending on humanity’s efforts to prevent warming, fish biomass may drop to 3-25% of current levels by the end of the century. 90% of the world’s fishers, more than 30 million people, are engaged in subsistence fishing which represents about 50% of the world’s total fishing effort.

“The ocean is facing many and various threats, and climate change and plastic pollution are getting a lot of media attention,” said Angelo O’Connor Villagomez, a senior officer at the Pew Bertarelli Marine Heritage Project. “The United Nations Report on Biodiversity reminds us,” I quote: “Direct exploitation of organisms, mainly fishing, has had the greatest negative relative impact on nature since the 1970s.”

Villagomez said he believes the fully protected marine sanctuaries are crucial to protection of marine biodiversity. About 15% of the world’s oceans are under some form of protection. In recent years, conservation efforts have resulted in the rapid spread of marine protected areas and other forms of spatial protection. Still, the International Union for Conservation of Nature recommends protecting 30% of every marine habitat to ensure the sustainability of our oceans.

These spatial prototypes have been shown to work for coastal and non-migratory species such as scallops, lobsters and reef fishes, but their impact on large migratory species such as tuna and billfishes is less evident, says Kristina Boerder, a postdoctoral fellow at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada

A new study by Boerder suggests that carefully designed and managed MPAs can benefit large migratory species. These ocean sanctuaries have helped rebuild the already heavily exploited fish stocks, according to Kristina, but the success of these MPAs depends on the context of each fisheries. MPAs are particularly useful when englobing known migratory routes or in “hot-spots” where various marine species aggregate to either breed, feed, or for other reasons. A better understanding of the behavior and motions of highly migratory species would enable fisheries to adjust spatial protection to species’ needs.

“We already have a lot of data and knowledge on areas such as those with significant spawning or where different species tend to congregate, but the political will to protect these areas is often absent” – Kristina Boerder

To ensure that protected areas are not just lines on a map where IUU and unsustainable fishing can operate unchecked, we need MPA managers to be equipped with the human capacity and necessary technology to carry out more efficient monitoring and management of the MPA. Well managed protected areas, fisheries and marine habitats will increase reefs resilience to climate change and may be beneficial to local fishermen, who rely on the oceans resources for economic and food security

Improving MPA Management

How can Innovative Technology Protect Wildlife from Extinction?

Original post:

How drones and AI are protecting endangered wildlife.

Melissa Schiele, a marine ecologist from Loughborough University, uses a fixed-wing UAV drone to monitor the Marine Protected Area (MPA) of BIOT, in the Indian Ocean.

With only one British vessel patrolling more than 640,000 km², the conservation of an MPA of this size is a challenge.

The main reason for the creation of this MPA is to prevent South Asian fishing vessels targeting tuna stocks and shark fins from operating in the area. However, despite restrictions illegal fishing still occurs. Prosecuting illegal fishers is extremely hard as finding definite evidence of the activities in real time is a challenge. Schiele stated: “We believe that we are the first to develop a fixed wing unit for landing in water specifically designed for marine surveillance and ecology” making their research a pioneer in the field. The use of drones could tackle this issue by obtaining photographs of the illegal fishing as well as the ships ID creating solid evidence.

The research was largely based on the BIOT ship and presented a unique set of challenges. Dynamic home positioning will bring the drone back to its starting point, which can be confusing when the launch point is a moving ship. Sea landing caused seawater to leak in the machine forcing Melissa to spend several sleepless nights fixing the drone.

“We hope that the drone will become a powerful tool in ecology and surveillance once it is fully waterproof. The aim for the drone to be a revolutionary tool for potential MPA managers in developing countries as well as marine scientists with limited funding.”

Improving MPA Management

Research is Essential to Maximise Benefits of Marine Protected Areas

Original post:

Research Key to Boosting Benefits of Large Marine Protected Areas.

Even though a lot of preparation and scientific investigation is required for the creation of marine protected areas (MPAs), even the most skilled marine scientists have limited knowledge of these remote areas.

The reason for this lack of knowledge is because previous marine conservation efforts have been focused on the minor coastal MPAs which were created before the more remote offshore MPAs, and are easier to study, monitor and protect due to their location and size. Coastal research findings can be extrapolated to offshore MPAs; however, it does not give a complete view of exactly what is happening in these regions. We can achieve such an understanding by increasing research efforts and communication, which would then inform governments and conservationists as to how to deliver meaningful ecological outcomes for these MPAs. Achieving this understanding requires extensive research and reporting and should help governments, scientists and conservationists design and implement large MPAs with strong environmental outcomes.

To identify gaps in research on large MPAs, the Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy project collaborated with fisheries scientists Chris Smith and Quentin Hanich of the University of Wollongong, Australia. They co-authored a paper, Large Scale Marine Protected Areas: Current status and consideration of socio-economic dimensions, summarizing the research needed to inform the management and design of large MPAs. It examines protected areas from multiple perspectives and addresses concerns from stakeholders and governments in developed and developing states. There is a broad number of areas where research could improve our MPAs, mainly in regard to migratory routes, Illegal Unregulated Unreported fisheries, climate change, traditional cultures and indigenous communities.

For example, the Papahanamukukia National Marine Monument in the Northwest Hawaii Islands was one of the first major marine protected areas in the world but was closed for commercial fishing only recently (2011). Moreover, there has been no follow up investigation into the economic or environmental impacts of this closure, its effects are unknown to stakeholders or the government. With the increasing creation of MPAs worldwide, it becomes necessary for research to be addressing such gaps to understand how large MPAs benefit both the ecosystem and its surrounding communities. The Ocean Legacy project aims to fill these gaps by working tightly with nonprofit organizations, universities and scientists. The Bertarelli Foundation’s Program in Marine Science (BPMS) is already filling these gaps with its research in the British Indian Ocean Territory.

The U.N Convention on Biological Diversity will meet in the coming year to set new global goals for the protection of global biodiversity. The UN aims to protect 10% of our oceans by 2020. With the deadline approaching, there is a chance for the UN to realign its goal with the more realistic recommendation of the IUCN for 30% of our oceans to be protected in a network of MPA by 2030. The establishment of such a network requires the implementation of many small to large MPA’s protecting all types of marine habitats and creating protected corridors along migratory routes. As stated in a landmark study “without adequate protection of species and ecosystems outside reserves, effectiveness of reserves will be severely compromised”. There is a need to look at our MPAs & fisheries as part of a whole in order to increase the sustainability of our oceans, worldwide. Habitats where marine life spawns, forages and breeds must be accordingly protected and managed with the best science and infrastructure available.

Improving MPA Management

Using Reef Sharks as an Anti-Poaching Force

Original post:

Something smells fishy: Scientists uncover illegal fishing using shark tracking devices.

Source paper: https://www.marine.science/publication/potential-detection-of-illegal-fishing-by-passive-acoustic-telemetry/?

Sharks can now take a stand against illegal fishing as marine ecologists discover that their telemetry data can inform on the presence of illegal fishing fleets.

About 95 silvertip and grey reef sharks have been acoustically tagged to measure how effective the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) Marine Protected Area (MPA) is at protecting them.

A recent study shows that the synchronous loss of 15 acoustic tags in BIOT concurs with two illegal fishing ships being arrested for having 359 sharks on deck. Although its primary use was to map sharks’ movements around the reef, the acoustic tag’s data can now be used to inform on the presence of illegal fishing vessels. In spring of 2015, scientists returned to BIOT to service their acoustic receivers surrounding the archipelago, and to download the tag data from their 95 tagged sharks. To their surprise, in ten days 15 of these 95 sharks disappeared, presumably lost to illegal fishing.

Marine conservationists are increasingly using acoustic telemetry as a way to collect data from species. Scientists from Stanford University Hopkins Marine Station, ZSL and University of Western Australia have collaborated using such technology to track reef shark movement around the MPA since 2013. Acoustic tags emit a unique sound received by hydrophones which then enables their localisation. Accuracy is not optimal, locations pinpointed can still be hundreds of metres away which is why such technology (acoustic telemetry) is mostly used on more resident species than highly mobile ones.

During 2013 and 2014 and after a lengthy developmental phase and ethical review, the team tagged 47 grey reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) and 48 silvertip sharks (Carcharhinus albimarginatus). These sharks were tagged and released in the BIOT MPA. The aim of this release is to track shark movements. The transmitters are usually placed on the shark’s dorsal fin. They allow a fine scale mapping of their habitat as they remain highly loyal to their reef and therefore, remain within range of the receivers. The sudden disappearance of 15 sharks is not common and most likely represents a successful illegal fishing operation.

Sharks have been particularly targeted in the last decade in BIOT and around the world. 90% of illegal fishing ship encountered in BIOT had sharks on board, making up most of the catch. This coincides with a global trend where sharks have been targeted worldwide to fuel the demand in fin soup which has now gown in popularity over Asia and is becoming cheaper and more accessible.

The team studying sharks in BIOT during spring of 2015 decided to investigate the possible relationship between illegal fishing events and the disappearance of their tags. They found that, statistically, less than 50 tags were enough to detect such illegal events and could therefore be used to detect poaching events. Nonetheless, improvements in technology are still needed, there is a need for the data from tags to be collected quicker for a more effective intervention from the BIOT Patrol vessel. In the meantime, the team on location is teaching enforcement officers where and when sharks aggregate using the data that already exists combined with historical fisheries.

“Using animals as sentinels, both to detect illegal activity and to monitor environmental conditions, extends our capabilities and reach, making us more effective stewards of our oceans.”

D. M. Tickler

Improving MPA Management

Rat Eradication on Ile Vache Marine: A Success!

Original post:

Successful Conservation Intervention in the Chagos Archipelago.

Peter Carr and his team with the Chagos Conservation Trust have proudly announced the successful eradication of rats from Ile Vache Marine.

The island sits within the British Indian Ocean Territory and therefore, within its MPA.

Invasive rats have colonized remote islands worldwide alongside human exploration since the 1800s. Ile Vache Marine is a particularly important island as its beaches are used by the two sea turtles species inhabiting BIOT, the hawksbill turtle and green sea turtle. Rats represent a significant threat to these two species populations in BIOT as they feed on their eggs and young. Additionally, they have the same impacts on the populations of native birds present on the island with an added pressure, they can eat adults. The presence of rats reduces bird populations dramatically. This affects the whole surrounding coral reef ecosystem as seabird’s guano represent an essential input of nutrients to the reef. The consequences of rat invasion on remote islands makes their eradication a sensible response plan in restoring lost populations.

The ambitious project of the Chagos Conservation Trust was to eradicate rats from the island in order to allow native species to thrive once more. For an island to be declared “rat free” a minimum period of two years of monitoring must pass to ensure no rat has survived. Therefore, in spring 2017, Peter Carr returned to the island with the hope of finding it rat free. What he found was a thriving ecosystem with native plants recovering as well as healthy invertebrate populations.