Science Advisory Report  2012/064

Marine Protected Area Network Planning in the Scotian Shelf Bioregion: Objectives, Data, and Methods

Summary

• Through prior DFO ocean planning work, the Scotian Shelf Bioregion was previously subdivided into three planning areas: Atlantic Coast of Nova Scotia, Bay of Fundy and Offshore Scotian Shelf.
• Two overarching conservation objectives proposed for a network of marine protected areas in the Scotian Shelf Bioregion were discussed at the meeting, and the following wording was considered to be consistent with national and international guidance:
• Protect Ecologically or Biologically Significant Areas and other special natural features in the Scotian Shelf Bioregion that benefit from long-term, year-round, spatial management.
• Protect representativeexamples of all marine ecosystem and habitat types in the Scotian Shelf Bioregion based on coastline, coastal subtidal, and offshore classifications, along with their associated biodiversity and ecological processes.
• While not explicitly stated in these overarching objectives, the connectivity between individual marine protected areas, replicated ecological features, and adequate and viable sites are also important considerations in marine protected area network design.
• More specific and measurable conservation objectives under the two overarching objectives may need to be developed for each of the three planning areas.
• Two separate but linked physiographic classification systems are recommended for the coastal zone, which are expected to largely reflect biological community patterns. Two distinct classification systems are recommended for consideration in the offshore.
• In the Bay of Fundy, sixteen areas were found to meet the DFO and Convention on Biological Diversity criteria for Ecologically or Biologically Significant Areas, using extensive literature review, scientific expert opinion, and validation with available data.
• For the Atlantic Coast of Nova Scotia, the scientific context and assessment process undertaken in 2010 to identify coastal areas that should be considered in conservation planning were reviewed. Twenty areas identified as meeting the criteria for Ecologically or Biologically Significant Areas were endorsed for consideration in the bioregional marine protected area network design phase. For 27 additional areas (also previously identified), it was recommended that they be re-evaluated against the Convention on Biological Diversity Ecologically or Biologically Significant Areas criteria, using expert knowledge and available regional information, to ensure potential priority areas for conservation, including those identified by Environment Canada, Parks Canada, and the Nova Scotia Government, have not been overlooked.
• Given the availability of various regional datasets for the Offshore Scotian Shelf, a data-driven and systematic approach, built on expert knowledge of the ecology of the area, the survey methodologies and the data sets, is proposed for identification of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Areas in this planning area.
• Further work is required to determine which of the identified Ecologically or Biologically Significant Areas (or parts thereof) should be included in the bioregional network of marine protected areas.
• Although difficult to predict, the potential implications of broad changes in the state of the ecosystem, including those due to climate change, should be taken into account in the marine protected area network design process.

This Science Advisory Report is from the March 5-7, 2012, meeting to review Marine Protected Area Network Planning in the Scotian Shelf Bioregion. Additional publications from this process will be posted as they become available on the DFO Science Advisory Schedule.

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