Proceedings 2022/037

Proceedings of the National Peer Review on a National Monitoring Framework for Coral and Sponge Areas Identified as Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures; December 1–3, 2020

Co-chairs: Robyn Jamieson and Lisa Setterington

Editors: James Kristmanson and Alex Tuen

Summary

Canada, through its commitments to national and international marine conservation targets, has protected 13.81% of its marine and coastal areas through the establishment of marine protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs). Canada currently has 59  OECMs, 38 of which are established to protect cold-water corals and/or sponge benthic ecosystems.

Marine OECMs can include fisheries area closures established for the long-term to contribute towards the conservation of biodiversity. They provide biodiversity conservation benefits, which are benefits for a habitat, species, or other component of the ecosystem resulting from the implementation of an OECM.

A Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) national peer review was conducted December 1–3, 2020 to develop a national monitoring framework for coral and sponge areas identified as OECMs. The process:

1. Characterized corals and/or sponges in Canadian OECMs (for example, by functional group or habitat type) and detailed the available baseline information and knowledge gaps;
2. Provided a review of the known and expected indirect biodiversity conservation benefits (BCBs) of coral and/or sponge habitats, and where possible, linked these to the groups of corals and/or sponges described above;
3. Identified appropriate ecological indicators to monitor coral and/or sponge areas for direct and indirect BCBs along with the strengths and limitations of each indicator; and
4. Identified potential tools, techniques, and/or methodologies for monitoring the direct and indirect BCBs of coral and/or sponge areas, and provided advice on their strengths and limitations.

Proceedings 2022/037 (PDF, 405 KB)

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