6533b7d5fe1ef96bd12647fa
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Marine reserves: size and age do matter
15.claudet J.Osenberg C.w.Benedetti-cecchi L.Domenici P.Garcia-charton J.a.Perez-ruzafa A.Fabio BadalamentiBayle-sempere J.Brito A.Bulleri F.Culioli J.m.Dimech M.Falcon J.m.Guala I.Milazzo M.Sanchez-meca J.Somerfield P.j.Stobart B.Vandeperre F.Valle C.Planes S. (2008) - Marine Reserves: SizeAge Do Matter.subject
0106 biological sciencesTime Factorsmarine reserve agemarine protected areamarine reserve sizeMarine protected areaBiodiversityAsymmetrical analysis of varianceConservation of Energy ResourcesFish stock01 natural sciencesMarine reserve networkEnvironmental protectionfish assemblagesZoologíaCoastal marine ecosystemsCommercial speciesAtlantic OceanMarine reserve designmarine reserve designNature reserveMarine reserve ageEcologyMarine reserveFishesBiodiversityasymmetrical analysis of varianceweighted meta-analysisEuropecoastal marine ecosystemsFisheriesmarine reserve networkFish assemblages010603 evolutionary biologyMediterranean SeaWeighted meta-analysisAnimals14. Life underwaterEcology Evolution Behavior and Systematicscommercial speciesOverfishing010604 marine biology & hydrobiologyMarine reserve size15. Life on landEcología13. Climate actionEnvironmental scienceMarine protected areaSpecies richnessheterogeneityHeterogeneityProtected areadescription
Marine reserves are widely used throughout the world to prevent overfishing and conserve biodiversity, but uncertainties remain about their optimal design. The effects of marine reserves are heterogeneous. Despite theoretical findings, empirical studies have previously found no effect of size on the effectiveness of marine reserves in protecting commercial fish stocks. Using 58 datasets from 19 European marine reserves, we show that reserve size and age do matter: Increasing the size of the no-take zone increases the density of commercial fishes within the reserve compared with outside; whereas the size of the buffer zone has the opposite effect. Moreover, positive effects of marine reserve on commercial fish species and species richness are linked to the time elapsed since the establishment of the protection scheme. The reserve size-dependency of the response to protection has strong implications for the spatial management of coastal areas because marine reserves are used for spatial zoning. This work has been carried out with financial support from the Commission of the European Community, specific RTD programme "Specific Support to Policies", SSP-2003-006539 "European Marine Protected Areas as Tools for Fisheries Management and Conservation (EMPAFISH)".
year | journal | country | edition | language |
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2008-01-01 |