The effects of marine protected areas over time and species dispersal potential: A quantitative conservation conflict attempt

TL;DR

This study uses agent-based models to analyze how marine protected areas affect species dispersal, landings, and conservation outcomes, revealing that species dispersal range influences recovery time and population dynamics within MPAs.

Contribution

It introduces a quantitative modeling approach to evaluate the impacts of MPAs on different species based on dispersal potential, highlighting conditions for optimal conservation and fishery benefits.

Findings

Species with short dispersal ranges take longer to recover post-MPA establishment.

MPAs create higher population sources for low-dispersal species.

A feasible scenario exists that maximizes both biomass and catches.

Abstract

Protected areas are an important conservation measure. However, there are controversial findings regarding whether closed areas are beneficial for species and habitat conservation as well as landings. Species dispersal is acknowledged as a key factor for the design and impacts of closed areas. A series of agent based models using random diffusion to model fish dispersal were run before and after habitat protection. All results were normalised without the protected habitat in each scenario to detect the relative difference after closing an area, all else being equal. Results show that landings of species with short dispersal ranges will take longer to reach the levels of pre Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) establishment than landings of species with long dispersal ranges. Further the establishment of an MPA generates a higher relative population source within the MPA for species with low dispersal abilities than for species with high dispersal abilities. Results derived here show that there exists a win-win feasible scenario that maximises both fish biomass as well as fish catches.