Research Document 2018/055

A framework for identification of ecological conservation priorities for Marine Protected Area network design and its application in the Northern Shelf Bioregion

By Gale, K.S.P., Frid, A., Lee, L., McCarthy, J., Robb, C., Rubidge, E., Steele, J., and Curtis, J.M.R.

Abstract

Conservation priorities (CPs) have been identified as part of systematic conservation planning processes, including Marine Protected Area (MPA) network design, to focus analyses on the most important features (species, habitats, and areas) within a planning area. In this paper, we develop and apply a framework to identify species- and area-based ecological CPs to inform the development of the MPA network in the Northern Shelf Bioregion (NSB) of British Columbia. We focus exclusively on Goal 1 of the Canada – BC Marine Protected Network Strategy (2014): “to protect and maintain marine biodiversity, ecological representation and special natural features”. Species-based CPs were identified based on the characteristics of individual species or higher-level taxa, selecting those that are ecologically important, vulnerable, or of conservation concern. Area-based CPs include areas, spatial features, or habitats that directly support the network objectives under Goal 1. Criteria for identifying ecological CPs were developed based on global best practices and were nested under the network objectives associated with Goal 1, then applied to areas and a candidate list of species found in the NSB. Criteria were applied and evaluated using information from the literature then vetted and augmented by expert opinion. Species that were identified as of conservation concern and those that received high scores for either vulnerability or ecological significance were recommended as ecological CPs. The list of 195 species to be considered as ecological CPs for the NSB includes 65 bony fishes and elasmobranchs, 23 marine mammals (including four Orca ecotypes), one sea turtle, 46 invertebrates, five plants and algae, and 55 marine birds. A total of 17 area-based ecological CPs were recommended, including areas and habitats including areas of climate resilience, degraded areas, representative habitats, and features associated with Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs; e.g., areas of high productivity or diversity). Several types of spatial features were recommended, including Important Areas, to represent species-based CPs in site selection analyses for the MPA network. Ecological CPs identified from this framework will inform subsequent MPA planning steps, including the development of design strategies and design scenarios.

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