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Think big for marine conservation
Err on the side of caution and protect the widest-possible areas of ecologically
important deep sea, say Phil Weaver and David Johnson.
WATERFRAME/ALAMY
M
arine protected areas are key tools
This approach should be widely adopted by
Fortunately, the eventual consensus of this
for conservation, but they have
the scientific community now, while promeeting was to propose large EBSAs: eight
some serious shortcomings. The
posed EBSAs are being drawn up for a first
extensive areas (averaging 362,097 square
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
technical evaluation at a CBD meeting in
kilometres each) and two smaller inter­
has called for these areas to cover 10% of
Montreal, Canada, at the end of April, before
national bird areas. For Hatton–Rockall,
each of the world’s marine and coastal ecotheir political endorsement.
that meant drawing a line around the entire
regions by the end of 2020. Even this modbanks region, measuring 264,322 km².
est target is proving elusive. So far, less than
ATLANTIC BEGINNINGS
This stands in stark contrast to the aver2% of the ocean has been designated as proThe first CBD regional workshop to identify
age size of the 276 protected areas in this
tected, and nearly all of these areas are in
EBSAs was held in September 2011 to conocean’s national waters, which average just
coastal and continental-shelf regions. This
sider the northeast Atlantic, which already
1,040 km² each, and the 6 high-seas prois partly the result of a lack of data from the
hosts a number of marine protected areas
tected areas, at 47,718 km2 each.
open ocean, and partly because
What should happen once an
of pressures from various interEBSA is defined? We suggest that
est groups, which may resist
a marine spatial plan be drawn
the management of ocean areas
up for each EBSA and regularly
with valuable resources.
updated. This will articulate
There is now an additional
a vision, show what activity is
option for protecting the marine
taking place in the region (from
environment. In 2010, the CBD
commercial fishing to tourism)
created a process to officially
and study the impacts of those
endorse Ecologically or Biologiactivities. In terms of managecally Significant Areas (EBSAs)
ment, we support a three-tier
and to convey information to
approach whereby areas that
competent intergovernmenhistorically have been heavily
tal organizations, such as the
fished and are now degraded
United Nations General Assemremain unprotected; areas with
bly, for further action. The point
light historical fishing are given
of EBSAs is to allow scientists to
full protection; and moderately
identify areas that are particu- Species such as North Atlantic anemones deserve conservation attention.
fished areas are subject to furlarly important to the function
ther scrutiny. Marine protected
of marine ecosystems without the requireand precautionary bottom-fisheries closures.
areas could sit comfortably within EBSAs,
ment for an accompanying detailed manageThis ocean includes the Hatton and Rockall
giving protection to the most critical ecosysment plan. This ‘softer’ procedure opens the
banks and basin area, to the west of Ireland
tems. The main benefit of this system is that
door to labelling a larger swathe of the ocean
and Scotland. This area, parts of which are
it appeals to many different stakeholders: for
as important to ecosystem functioning.
heavily fished, hosts many discrete habitats
example, it legitimizes existing fishing activiAn EBSA is defined by a set of criteria
and supports a wide range of animals, includties while preventing them from spreading to
established by the CBD in 2008: the area
ing fragile cold-water coral reefs and sponges.
vulnerable ecosystems in future.
should contain unique, rare or endemic
It provides feeding grounds for birds such as
As scientists meet to rationalize what
creatures and/or habitats; have a special role
shearwaters and petrels. And it may harexactly EBSAs should look like in different
in the survival of a given species; be imporbour turtles and the endangered blue whale
parts of the world, we urge them to err on the
tant for the survival or recovery of threat(Balaenoptera musculus) as well as the critiside of caution and to make the areas large
ened species; be vulnerable, fragile or slow
cally endangered North Atlantic right whale
rather than small. This will open the door
to recover once harmed; have high biologi(Eubalaena glacialis). The exact boundaries
to broader conservation measures and to
cal productivity; and/or have high biological
of any of the habitats and species distributions
sustainable development in future. ■
diversity. These are good criteria. Unfortuare yet to be established.
nately, there are vast swathes of ocean about
Initially, there was considerable support
Phil Weaver is science coordinator of the
which very little is known, for which these
among the 25 participating scientists for the
Global Ocean Biodiversity Initiative and
criteria can be hard to prove.
designation of small, discrete EBSAs, such as
is at the National Oceanography Centre,
This lack of knowledge is not preventing
isolated seamounts, in the northeast AtlanSouthampton, UK. David Johnson is
fishing, deep-sea mining and other exploitatic. Experts were focused on their particular
executive secretary for the Convention for the
tion from expanding, however; nor should it
specialist habitat or species group, and were
Protection of the Marine Environment of the
stand in the way of designating EBSAs. We
conscious that their expert judgement would
North-East Atlantic (OSPAR) in London.
believe that EBSAs should be made as large
be scrutinized by their peers. Under such
e-mail: [email protected]
as possible, encompassing all areas within
circumstances, it can be difficult to support a
which the criteria are likely to be substanlarge EBSA that extends beyond one’s experFurther reading accompanies this article online at
go.nature.com/soxziu
tively met, even before that can be proven.
tise and into areas where there are little data.
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