No Reef Is an Island: Integrating Coral Reef Connectivity Data into the Design of Regional-Scale Marine Protected Area Networks

Steven R Schill; George T Raber; Jason J Roberts; Eric A Treml; Jorge Brenner; Patrick N Halpin

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0144199

No Reef Is an Island: Integrating Coral Reef Connectivity Data into the Design of Regional-Scale Marine Protected Area Networks

PLoS One. 2015 Dec 7;10(12):e0144199. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0144199. eCollection 2015.

Authors

Steven R Schill¹, George T Raber², Jason J Roberts³, Eric A Treml⁴, Jorge Brenner⁵, Patrick N Halpin³

Affiliations

¹ Caribbean Program, The Nature Conservancy, Coral Gables, Florida, United States of America.
² Department of Geography and Geology, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, United States of America.
³ Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America.
⁴ School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁵ Texas Chapter, The Nature Conservancy, Houston, Texas, United States of America.

Abstract

We integrated coral reef connectivity data for the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico into a conservation decision-making framework for designing a regional scale marine protected area (MPA) network that provides insight into ecological and political contexts. We used an ocean circulation model and regional coral reef data to simulate eight spawning events from 2008-2011, applying a maximum 30-day pelagic larval duration and 20% mortality rate. Coral larval dispersal patterns were analyzed between coral reefs across jurisdictional marine zones to identify spatial relationships between larval sources and destinations within countries and territories across the region. We applied our results in Marxan, a conservation planning software tool, to identify a regional coral reef MPA network design that meets conservation goals, minimizes underlying threats, and maintains coral reef connectivity. Our results suggest that approximately 77% of coral reefs identified as having a high regional connectivity value are not included in the existing MPA network. This research is unique because we quantify and report coral larval connectivity data by marine ecoregions and Exclusive Economic Zones (EZZ) and use this information to identify gaps in the current Caribbean-wide MPA network by integrating asymmetric connectivity information in Marxan to design a regional MPA network that includes important reef network connections. The identification of important reef connectivity metrics guides the selection of priority conservation areas and supports resilience at the whole system level into the future.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Anthozoa / physiology*
Caribbean Region
Coral Reefs*
Gulf of Mexico
Models, Biological*

Grants and funding

This project was funded by a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The title of the grant was "A Vision for Protecting Shared Marine Resources across the Caribbean Biological Corridor." The URL for the funder is http://www.macfound.org/. The grant number is 1715173007. The author who received the funding was Steven R. Schill. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. There are no current funding sources for this study (The Nature Conservancy has agreed to cover the cost of the PLOS ONE publication fee from their own funds. The University of Southern Mississippi has agreed to host any data sharing requirements through existing computing resources).