Geographic priorities for Marine Biodiversity Conservation in the Coral Triangle

We evaluated the performance of an existing marine protected area (MPA) network in protecting representative ranges of biodiversity features and developed a prioritization scenario for expansion of this MPA network. This study... [ view full abstract ]

We evaluated the performance of an existing marine protected area (MPA) network in protecting representative ranges of biodiversity features and developed a prioritization scenario for expansion of this MPA network. This study is focused on the Coral Triangle (CT) region, a marine region located between Indian and Pacific Oceans, widely recognized as the global epicenter of shallow marine biodiversity, though current MPAs protect less than 2% of its marine area. We utilized the systematic conservation planning software Zonation as a decision-support tool to ensure representation of biodiversity features while minimizing costs associated with threats. Our results indicated that the average representation of biodiversity features within the existing MPA network is currently about 5%. By systematically increasing MPA coverage to 10%, the average representation of biodiversity features within the MPA network would increase to over 37%. Marine areas in the Halmahera Sea, the outer island arc of the Banda Sea, the Sulu Archipelago, the Bismarck Archipelago, and the Malaita Islands were identified as priority areas for the designation of new MPAs. Moreover, we recommended that several existing MPAs be expanded to cover additional biodiversity features within their adjacent areas. An MPA network that covered 30% of the CT would include 65% of the biodiversity features. This assessment provides a blueprint for efficient gains in marine conservation through the extension of the current MPA network in the Coral Triangle region.