Connectivity Coarse Filter Approach for Marine Protected Area Network Design

Human use of the ocean is impacting biodiversity sustainability. To mitigate human pressure, governments have committed to protecting 10% of their oceans/coasts as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Determining the most effective placement of MPAs for conserving biodiversity should be done at a network scale such that MPA networks are placed to provide the greatest protection for multiple species. I propose a methodology to determine priority conservation areas for distinct species assemblages, located at different depths, to determine MPA network placement, using the Pacific Ocean in Canada as a case study. I found dispersal ability had a larger impact on MPA network configuration for species spending a long time as larvae compared to species spending a short time as larvae, and that climate change is likely to shift priority-area locations. The methodology proposed for MPA design relies on limited data and can be applied to other regions and ecosystems.%%%%M.Sc.%%%%2020-11-15 00:00:00