Southward decrease in the protection of persistent giant kelp forests in the northeast Pacific
| Autor: | Tom W. Bell, Nur Arafeh-Dalmau, Kyle C. Cavanaugh, Gabriela Montaño-Moctezuma, Fiorenza Micheli, Kate Cavanaugh, Hugh P. Possingham, Adrian Munguia-Vega |
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| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences biology 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology Marine reserve Kelp Climate change biology.organism_classification 01 natural sciences Kelp forest Latitude Fishery Geography General Earth and Planetary Sciences Marine protected area Ecosystem Macrocystis pyrifera 0105 earth and related environmental sciences General Environmental Science |
| Zdroj: | Communications Earth & Environment. 2 |
| ISSN: | 2662-4435 |
| Popis: | Kelp forests are globally important and highly productive ecosystems, yet their persistence and protection in the face of climate change and human activity are poorly known. Here, we present a 35-year time series of high-resolution satellite imagery that maps the distribution and persistence of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) forests along ten degrees of latitude in the Northeast Pacific Ocean. We find that although 7.7% of giant kelp is protected by marine reserves, when accounting for persistence only 4% of kelp is present and protected. Protection of giant kelp decreases southerly from 20.9% in Central California, USA, to less than 1% in Baja California, Mexico, which likely exacerbates kelp vulnerability to marine heatwaves in Baja California. We suggest that a two-fold increase in the area of kelp protected by marine reserves is needed to fully protect persistent kelp forests and that conservation of climate-refugia in Baja California should be a priority. Giant kelp forests in the Northeast Pacific Ocean are inadequately represented in marine protected areas, which increases their vulnerability to marine heatwaves, according to a 35-year satellite image time series. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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