In order to protect the biodiversity and the depleted marine resources, we should reserve them for future generations.Therefore, try to introduce the concept of Marine Protected Areas ( MPAs) which are based on ecosystem. It is divided into different kinds of protected areas to reserve the resources and protect the biodiversity and the completeness of natural habitats. MPAs offer the foundation of natural Sustainable Development. According to this research, and use the theory of resource economics basis to discuss the effective of MPAs. Then, it continued to discuss the effective of MPAs which is under negative uncertainty. According to the evidence of results, MPAs indeed can reap the benefit of our ecological at the same time , it also can maintain the effectiveness of MPAs.

This is a talk prepared for The Bahamas At 40: Reflecting On The Past, Envisioning The Future Conference. This talk will be given in a session entitled: Small Island Sustainability on June 13, 2013.

There is a lack of tools for zoning marine protected areas (MPAs). MARXAN is a popular tool for MPA siting, and this thesis explores its use for zoning. MPA managers and zoning practitioners were interviewed in order to determine the requirements of zoning. This, combined with a literature review, informed the testing of several MARXAN settings. This testing was necessary due to poor existing documentation and the uncertainty associated with many settings. Finally, different methods for creating and combining zones were also developed. Due to the complexity of MARXAN it is not possible to develop specific guidelines for many of the settings tested in this research. However, general trends for several settings were determined, and applied within the context of MPA zoning. Preliminary zones were developed and combined using MARXAN’s summed solution output, the results of which are ready for zone refinement with stakeholders and MPA planners.

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This study evaluates the utility of stakeholder analysis for understanding the relationships among actors involved in creating a marine protected area (MPA) in the Southern Ocean. It relies on the Australian Centre of Excellence on Risk Analysis (ACERA) method of critical stakeholder analysis, a concise, step-by-step model to identify stakeholders, assess their perceptions and values, and reveal power relations. The study uses the first two steps of the ACERA method to analyze stakeholders—in this case individuals speaking on behalf of organizations—within the Australian delegation of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) concerning the establishment of an MPA in the Southern Ocean. The study reveals both benefits and weaknesses in the ACERA method. It also portrays conflicting views among these stakeholders, and that the process of identifying and analyzing stakeholder interests is highly complex and dynamic. / Master of Science

With the growth in human pressures on the marine environment and the increase in competition for space and resources there has been recognition by many governments of the need to use the marine environment sustainably and allow for its acceptable allocation for each sector. The aim of this thesis is to evaluate the use of Marxan and Marxan with Zones as practical tools to enable the production of marine plans that integrate environmental and socioeconomic data and to suggest best practice in the types of data used. In this thesis three key aspects of data type and integration were identified and evaluated. The resolution and complexity of data required to protected marine biodiversity was assessed. The effects of using different substrate data resolution on the selection of sites to protect a range of biotopes using Marxan are determined. The nature of the data used in marine planning has significant implications for the protection of marine biodiversity. Using less complex data, of any resolution, did not adequately protect marine biodiversity. There is a need to determine what is an acceptable allocation of marine resource to each sector. Two case study areas were used to determine how to integrate conservation and socioeconomic data and objectives in a marine plan. Objectives for all the sectors could not be met completely in a single marine plan and each sector had to compromise. This research highlighted the potential compromises required and indicates that if marine heritage and biodiversity are to be protected each sector will have to change the impact it has on the marine environment. Currently marine conservation assumes that all data on habitats and species presented for use in marine planning are equal, in accuracy, precision and value. This is not always the case, with data based on a wide range of sources including routine government monitoring, specific innovative research and stakeholder based data gathering. A case study area was used to evaluate the impacts of using confidence levels in habitat data on marine biodiversity. It was found that data outputs that best protected marine biodiversity used data over 20% and over 30% confidence. With the data currently available for the UK marine environment it is not possible to be confident that a representative MPA network can be created. Together these studies contribute key recommendations for best practice in marine planning and demonstrate that the use of spatial decision support tools (Marxan and Marxan with Zones) are essential for the integration of data in marine planning, to assess how using different types of data will impact marine planning and marine biodiversity protection and to explore implications of different management actions.

Coral reefs are a vital resource in the low-island Republic of Maldives, where the sustainable use of these resources is central to the continued economic success of the country's two largest sectors: tourism and fisheries. This recognition has led to numerous reef conservation and protection activities, including the establishment of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). As in many MPAs of the world, those in the Maldives exist only as paper parks: areas protected on paper but not in practice. Despite general recognition of the importance of reef resources, insufficient funds are allocated by government to implement these parks. This situation is compounded by the absence of specific information and detailed understanding by policy makers of the true value and economic benefits of reef resources. This thesis examines the an economic valuation of improved management of MPAs in the Maldives using Dhigali Haa, an MPA in Baa Atoll, Maldives, as a case study. A contingent valuation survey to elicit the willingness to pay of tourists visiting Baa Atoll to see improved management at the MPA was used in estimating the potential benefits. In addition, local community consultations were conducted to understand local perceptions of MPAs and their effectiveness, and to develop a feasible improved management scenario. The local consultations confirmed that Dhigali Haa was not effectively managed, leading to continued illegal use and degradation of the reef. The results of the CV survey revealed support from tourists visiting Baa Atoll to pay for improved management of Dhigali Haa. A one-off conservation fee per visit for all tourists visiting Baa Atoll was preferred over a user fee solely for divers visiting Dhigali Haa. The estimate for the mean WTP for the conservation fee was US$35±5 compared to a mean WTP of US$15±5 for the user fee. Comparisons between the cost of implementing improved management and the benefits gained from tourist fees showed that a conservation fee would be more beneficial than a user fee. The estimated net present value for funding the improved management via a conservation fee was US$8.65 million.

To evaluate the niche of coastal fish populations in the Beaufort Sea, stable isotopes (SI) and fatty acids (FA) were used to characterize species-specific niches, niche overlaps and resource partitioning (nicheROVER) of the Shingle Point fish populations. Fishes were grouped into three isotopic groups: marine, coastal, and freshwater (Ward’s clustering analysis), and five dietary groupings (using FA), where benthic feeding strategies were prevalent (correspondence analysis). Niche metrics were used to evaluate if total mercury (THg) could contribute complementary trophic information (residual permutation procedure (RPP)). Three THg groups (high, intermediate, low) were identified (boxplot analysis). High THg was identified in high trophic and benthic feeders, high THg ranges were observed in species with large niche sizes, high trophic feeding, and freshwater influences (RPP). The bioavailability of freshwater introduced THg to marine biota was assessed, however further research needs to be performed. Combining dietary indicators SI, FA, and THg, allowed for the characterization of the diet and habitat use of coastal fish populations, better understanding of the niches of these species, and developed baseline information for future monitoring in an MPA, as climate change continues to effect the Beaufort coastal environment. / February 2017