Social Indices of Conservation Impact for Planning Shark and Ray Spatial Protection

Shark and ray sanctuaries are primarily established to alleviate threats that humans pose through overfishing and destructive fishing practices. Despite the ‘human’ nature of these threats, socio-economic factors are often... [ view full abstract ]

Shark and ray sanctuaries are primarily established to alleviate threats that humans pose through overfishing and destructive fishing practices. Despite the ‘human’ nature of these threats, socio-economic factors are often given less consideration than ecological factors when designing shark and ray spatial protection. Furthermore, the needs of communities who depend on shark fisheries for their livelihoods are often overlooked. We developed a series of spatially explicit, national level indices based on publically available socio-economic data to guide decisions related to the effective placement of shark and ray sanctuaries. These include: 1) Conservation Likelihood; 2) Strength of Management; 3) Biodiversity Impact; and 4) Livelihood Impact. We considered effective sanctuary placement to be determined not only by areas where socio-economic and political conditions were most favourable for conservation, but also by locations that were most likely to have a positive impact on shark biodiversity and associated human livelihoods. Because impact potential (i.e. the outcome arising from protection relative to the counterfactual scenario of no protection) is influenced by factors such as fishing pressure and fisheries dependence, it may contradict other measures reflecting socio-economic conditions that traditionally favour conservation (e.g. enforcement capacity, public support for shark conservation). We will present our indices and demonstrate their use in identifying potential contradictions, as well as areas of synergy, between conservation likelihood and impact, and between social and ecological outcomes. In combination with biophysical factors, these indices will help identify optimal locations where conservation is most likely to be achieved with maximum ecological and social benefits