Research Document - 2012/126
Marine Protected Area Network Planning in the Scotian Shelf Bioregion: Context and Conservation Objectives
By M. Westhead, M. King, and G. Herbert
Abstract
Canada has committed to establishing a national network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in support of integrated coastal and ocean management. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Maritimes Region is leading the development of an MPA network plan for the Scotian Shelf Bioregion. A Regional Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat meeting was held March 5-7, 2012, in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, to gather advice from the science community on what ecosystem features (i.e., species, habitats, and communities) a network of MPAs for the Scotian Shelf Bioregion should aim to protect, and the data that should be considered in characterizing the spatial distribution of these features.
This research document was prepared as a context piece for that meeting. It is intended to: (1) outline the policy context for MPA network planning in Canada; (2) provide a summary of past MPA network planning efforts in the Scotian Shelf Bioregion; (3) set the Regional Science Advisory Process in the context of the broader network planning process; and (4) outline strategic-level conservation objectives for the bioregional network.
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