Marine Protected Areas: Impact on Kelp Forest Recovery and Urchin Reduction

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Table of Contents

Summary
Background
Aims
Hypothesis
Approach & Method
Significance & Innovation
Logistics & Personnel
Acknowledgments & Permits
References

Summary

Marine Protected Areas (MPA) are considered to be an effective tool in addressing ecological challenges. However, the real extent of their effects on the marine ecosystem and biodiversity have not yet been thoroughly studied. The proposed research aims to analyze the MPA effectiveness for kelp forest recovery and urchin reduction based on digital images collected by Automated Underwater Vehicles (AUV). The primary source of data for the study is the Squidle+ database of AUV images. The research intends to prove the hypothesis that MPAs are effective for kelp forest recovery and urchin reduction and compare the data from different MPAs along the Australian coast to analyze the differences.

Background

Kelp forests are the biological engine of temperate shallow reef ecosystems in Eastern Australia that provide habitat for hundreds of species. They are currently threatened by sea urchin overgrazing, which leads to the replacement of kelp forests with much simpler barren reefs. Urchin overgrazing is largely caused by overfishing of sea urchin predators that maintain the balance in the ecosystem by keeping urchin population under control (Hamilton & Caselle). The fluctuations of sea urchin growth disturb the balance of marine ecosystems, and the reduction of kelp forests causes the loss of biodiversity (Provost et al., 2016). Marine Protected Areas (MPA), which are the areas of the ocean set aside for long-term conservation aims, are a primary management tool for mitigating threats to marine biodiversity (Sala et al., 2018). The research aims to study the effectiveness of MPA for kelp forest recovery and urchin reduction. It is intended to prove that MPAs help to protect important habitats, avoid degradation, and restore the productivity of the ocean.

The proposed study aims to contribute to the current research on the subject. The existing literature includes scholarly articles that analyze geographic variations in distribution and abundance of kelp forests (Marzinelli et al., 2015) and study marine biodiversity using Automated Underwater Vehicles (Ferrari et al., 2018). The research of MPA primarily studies the factors of success and/or failure of MPA effectiveness and their effects on people and the marine environment (France et al., 2016). The effectiveness of protected areas for kept forest recovery and urchin reduction has not yet been properly addressed in the literature.

Aims

Statement

The research aims to study the effectiveness of MPA for kelp forest recovery and urchin reduction.

Question

The project proposes to use visual and quantitative data to answer two questions:

Are MPAs effective in restoring kelp populations and reducing sea urchins?
What differences exist between different protected areas?

Hypothesis

The research suggests using data from Australian coastal MPAs to investigate the following hypotheses:

MPAs are effective in kelp forest recovery.
MPAs are effective in urchin reduction.
MPAs effects vary in different areas.

Approach & Method

The suggested source of data for the research is the Squidle+ database (Web), a digital collection of Automated Underwater Vehicle images designed by Dr. Ariell Friedman. It allows users to select between different types of locations: Sanctuary Zones and General Use zones, and choose between various types of AUV deployments based on a range of filters. Each location provides a set of images that can be analyzed based on different parameters.

For the purpose of the research, 10 MDAs (Sanctuary Zones) located along the Australian coast should be selected. From each area, ten images should be taken randomly, constituting a total of 100 images saved as a separate collection. On each image, 20 random points will be generated and analyzed with the purpose of evaluating the presence and number of sea urchins and the state and presence of a kelp forest. The data will be presented in percentages in an Excel table together with the name, latitude, longitude, and depth of each location.

Significance & Innovation

The proposed research is intended to provide new data on the marine environments and the effectiveness of MDA for addressing global climate change. The results are anticipated to prove that MPAs help to protect important habitats, prevent degradation, and restore the productivity of the ocean. The data can be used for further research, including the setup of an extensive database covering MDAs in different regions of the world.

The project innovation lies in using digital materials and online resources for studying MDAs and the marine environment. It goes in line with the recent technological developments that provide the researchers with tools and methods that help to study underwater ecosystems more profoundly. The study based on interactive data offers multiple opportunities for further research, development, and verification. The research is intended to facilitate the use of new technologies in environmental studies and provide new instruments for handling and analyzing digital data.

Logistics & Personnel

The research will be conducted by a team of four members, each responsible for a separate stage of the project and participating in collaborative decision making. Effective allocation of responsibilities between team members allows each of them to focus on a particular task and facilitate the development of common goals. In order to achieve the desired results, each team member has to possess the skills and experience relevant to the project and the task they are assigned to. Prior to the research, guidelines for research and result evaluation should be developed collaboratively by team members and approved by the research supervisor.

The most experienced member of the team should be appointed as the head of the project, coordinating and managing other members activities. He/she should be responsible for time management, task allocation, adherence to guidelines, and research outcomes. He/she should have sufficient technical and academic expertise to solve potential issues. The image collection and analysis work should be distributed between the three other members of the team, with each of them also focusing on a specific field of work. One of the members should be responsible for evaluating kept forest data, the other should interpret urchin data, and the third member should compare the data obtained from different locations. This way, the collection of images will be put together by all members of the team, and each member will have a specific question to focus on during the research. The results of each field of study should be initially analyzed by one researcher, followed by group discussion, verification, and evaluation. Each member of the team is encouraged to contribute their ideas to the research process, which are discussed and approved or rejected by other team members.

The exact timeline for the project should be established at the initial stage of project development. The preliminary dates are estimated to be two weeks for the preparation stage, two months for the actual research, and two months for data interpretation and final paper preparation. The exact dates of project commencement and conclusion should be discussed at a team meeting and approved by the research supervisor.

Acknowledgments & Permits

No special permits are required to start the research.

References

Ferrari, R., Marzinelli, E., Ayroza, C., Jordan, W., Figueira, W., Byrne, M., Malcolm, H., Williams, S., & Steinberg, P. (2018). Large-scale assessment of benthic communities across multiple marine protected areas using an autonomous underwater vehicle.PLoS One. Web.

Franco, A., Thiriet, P., Di Carlo, G., Dimitriadis, C., Francour, P., Gutierrez, N., Grissac, A., Koutsoubas, D., Milazzo, M., Otera, M., Piante, C., Plass-Johnson, J., Sainz-Trapaga, S., Santarossa, L., Tudela, S., & Guidetti, P. (2016). Five key attributes can increase marine protected areas performance for small-scale fisheries management.Scientific Reports, 6, 38135. Web.

Hamilton, S., & Caselle, J. (2015). Exploitation and recovery of a sea urchin predator has implications for the resilience of southern California kelp forests.Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Biological Sciences, 282(1799). Web.

Marzinelli, E., Williams, S., Babcock, R., Barrett, C., Johnson, C., Jordan, A., Kendrick, G., Pizarro, O., Smale, D., & Steinberg, P. (2015). Large-scale geographic variation in distribution and abundance of Australian deep-water kelp forests.PLoS ONE. Web.

Provost, E., Kelaher, B., Dworjanyn, S., Russell, B., Connell, S., Ghedini, G., Gillanders, B., Figueira, W., & Coleman, M. (2016). Climate-driven disparities among ecological interactions threaten kelp forest persistence.Global Change Biology, 23(1), 353361. Web.

Sala, E., Lubchenco, J., Grorud-Colvert, K., Novelli, C., Roberts, C., & Sumaila, R. (2018). Assessing real progress towards effective ocean protection.Marine Policy, 91, 1113. Web.

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