Beyond the 30x30 target: Science-informed marine protected area networks outperform random and opportunistic designs

Beyond the 30x30 target: Science-informed marine protected area networks outperform random and opportunistic designs | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Beyond the 30x30 target: Science-informed marine protected area networks outperform random and opportunistic designs Clea Abello, Bruno Ernande, Fabien Moullec, Nicolas Barrier, Ignacio Pita-Vaca, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5653319/v2 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Abstract The Mediterranean Sea, a biodiversity hotspot and one of the most heavily exploited marine regions worldwide, falls short of efficient protected areas. To address this gap, we developed an integrated framework combining a spatially explicit multi-species ecosystem model with regional climate and biogeochemical models to assess the ecological and fisheries outcomes of six fully protected marine protected area (MPA) network scenarios, expanded to 30% coverage. Scenarios included current MPA expansions, random placements and science-informed designs based on ecological, social and economic criteria. Science-informed networks consistently outperformed others, yielding higher biomass recovery, greater spillover benefits and, and lower fisheries losses. They also triggered top-down trophic cascades, reversing the “fishing down the food web” trend and enhancing high trophic level biomass. Large, aggregated offshore MPAs offered the best outcomes in balancing biodiversity conservation and sustainable fisheries, underscoring the importance of science-driven planning for achieving global conservation targets in the Mediterranean and beyond. Biological sciences/Ecology/Ecological modelling Biological sciences/Ecology/Conservation Earth and environmental sciences/Ecology/Community ecology/Food webs Earth and environmental sciences/Ecology/Ecological modelling Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Supplementary Files AppendicesAbelloetalMPAMed.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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