Research article - Peer-reviewed, 2014
Using Vessel Monitoring System Data to Improve Systematic Conservation Planning of a Multiple-Use Marine Protected Area, the Kosterhavet National Park (Sweden)
Gonzalez-Mirelis, Genoveva; Lindegarth, Mats; Sköld, MattiasAbstract
When spatial fishing data is fed into systematic conservation planning processes the cost to a fishery could be ensured to be minimal in the zoning of marine protected areas. We used vessel monitoring system (VMS) data to map the distribution of prawn trawling and calculate fishing intensity for 1-ha grid cells, in the Kosterhavet National Park (Sweden). We then used the software Marxan to generate cost-efficient reserve networks that represented every biotope in the Park. We asked what were the potential gains and losses in terms of fishing effort and species conservation of different planning scenarios. Given a conservation target of 10 % representation of each biotope, the fishery need not lose more than 20 % of its fishing grounds to give way to cost-efficient conservation of benthic diversity. No additional reserved area was needed to achieve conservation targets while minimizing fishing costs. We discuss the benefits of using VMS data for conservation planning.Keywords
VMS data; Systematic conservation planning; Marxan; Marine protected areaPublished in
AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment2014, volume: 43, number: 2, pages: 162-174
Publisher: SPRINGER
Authors' information
Gonzalez-Mirelis, Genoveva
Lindegarth, Mats
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Aquatic Resources
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG14 Life below water
UKÄ Subject classification
Ecology
Oceanography, Hydrology, Water Resources
Publication Identifiers
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-013-0413-7
URI (permanent link to this page)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/53459