Journal
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
Volume 260, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109190
Keywords
Climate change; Marxan; Protected areas; Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM); Systematic conservation planning; Wetlands
Funding
- Australian Department of Industry, Innovation and Science
- National Research Foundation, Prime Minister's Office, Singapore under its NRF Australia-Singapore Joint Research Grant Call [NRF2018AU-SG02]
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Decision makers are seeking actionable science to protect coastal ecosystems from future sea level rise impacts. A study in Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia, found that current conservation planning may not effectively capture future priorities, with financial consequences. Priority conservation areas in Moreton Bay are poorly aligned with current protected areas, indicating the need for a multi-ecosystem approach and improved management systems to address sea level rise challenges.
Decision makers are calling for actionable science to protect coastal ecosystems from adverse impacts. Future sea level rise (SLR) is expected to alter the spatial configuration of coastal habitats and their services. Ensuring conservation efforts are in optimal areas can be achieved using systematic conservation planning, yet plans rarely address multiple goals and uncertainties. We developed and applied a novel multi-ecosystem approach for planning the conservation of coastal ecosystems under future SLR scenarios. Decision support tool Marxan was used to determine priority areas that incorporate habitat connectivity, SLR modelling scenarios and feasibility for conservation in urbanised Moreton Bay in Queensland, Australia, as a case-study. We found that planning based on present conditions will not adequately capture conservation priorities for the future, and has associated financial consequences. Priority conservation areas of Moreton Bay are not well aligned with current protected areas (<35%), with further misalignment for future scenarios. This study highlights the importance of a multiecosystem approach for protecting coastal habitats as well as leveraging the current management system. Our approach helps inform policy and guides conservation actions in urbanised coastal regions facing SLR.
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