Linking ecosystem services of marine protected areas to benefits in human wellbeing?
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posted on 2017-12-06, 00:00authored byJ Saunders, T Potts, Emma JacksonEmma Jackson, D Burdon, J Atkins, E Hastings, O Langmead, S Fletcher
This chapter examines the potential relationship between ecosystem services provided by coastal ecosystems and the design and management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). While all coastal and marine habitats provide a range of ecosystem services, the implementation and management of an MPA may result in improvements in the quality or supply of an ecosystem service as pressures upon protected features are minimised. This chapter focuses on the United Kingdom (UK) and examines the contrasting approaches to MPA designation applied in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We argue that MPAs are able to influence ecosystem services and this is dependent on design concepts such as the scale of the site, the listed features, and management measures. Understanding the portfolio of services derived from features within MPAs will improve planning and management, particularly in the context of making site specific or regional trade-offs over designation, or in understanding the benefits and impacts of setting conservation objectives and introducing measures to achieve them.
Fuguro EMU Ltd; James Hutton Institute; Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom; Not affiliated to a Research Institute; Plymouth University; School of Medical and Applied Sciences (2013- ); University of Aberdeen; University of Hull;