Marine protected areas (MPAs) are important conservation tools that can support the resilience of marine ecosystems. Many countries, including Canada, have committed to protecting at least 10% of their marine areas under the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Aichi Target 11, which includes connectivity as a key aspect. Connectivity, the movement of individuals among habitats, can enhance population stability and resilience within and among MPAs. This thesis aimed to understand regional spatial patterns of marine ecological connectivity, specifically through the mechanism of adult movement, and how these patterns may be affected by climate change. I used the Northern Shelf Bioregion in British Columbia, Canada, as a case study for four objectives: (1) evaluate potential connectivity via adult movement for the entire bioregion, using habitat proxies for distinct ecological communities; (2) assess potential connectivity via adult movement among existing and potential MPAs, using the same habitat proxies; (3) model potential connectivity via adult movement among marine protected areas for two focal species (Metacarcinus magister and Sebastolobus alascanus) and predict how this interconnectedness may shift based on projected ocean temperature changes; and (4) contribute the results of these analyses to the MPA technical team’s ongoing planning process so that connectivity may be considered in the implementation of a new MPA network in the bioregion. This thesis developed an approach to assess and design MPA networks that maximize inferred connectivity within habitat types for adult movement when ecological data are limited. It applied least-cost theory and circuit theory to model MPA suitability and interconnectedness, finding that these are projected to decrease for Sebastolobus alascanus but increase for Metacarcinus magister. I showcased some methods that may be used in MPA design and evaluation, with lessons for other contexts. Importantly, this thesis informed an ongoing MPA planning process, enabling ecological connectivity to be considered in the establishment of a new MPA network in the bioregion. Overall, this work provided examples for incorporating connectivity and climate change into MPA design, highlighting what is possible even when data are limited. / Graduate

The large marine protected area (MPA) declared in 2010 around the Chagos Archipelago, also known as the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), has led to a conflict in the thick of environmental protection, colonialism, sovereignty claims, and the human rights dispute of the Chagossian people that once were exiled from the islands in the 1970s. By applying a Foucauldian inspired critical discourse analysis, this study interprets and examines how the nature/human relationship was portrayed during and after the creation of the Chagos MPA. Applying theories and concepts from political ecology and Foucault’s idea of biopower sheds new light on a conservation effort depicted as a global environmental success by some, and a geopolitical social justice disaster by others. Finally, this thesis applies Tim Ingold’s philosophical concept of the globe and sphere to discuss the implications of inclusion or withdrawal from nature.

Los objetivos de la tesis fueron estudiar los factores que pueden explicar la variabilidad existente en la distribución e intensidad de la pesca artesanal en torno a una reserva marina (RM), valorar el efecto de la protección sobre la pesca y analizar y valorar los efectos bio-económicos de configuraciones alternativas de diseño y gestión. Los resultados revelaron que las embarcaciones artesanales calan más artes, de menor longitud, en zonas de elevada diversidad de hábitats. El rendimiento pesquero depende del nivel de protección, la distancia a la RM y la diversidad de artes por unidad de área. La protección está teniendo resultados positivos sobre las poblaciones de peces explotadas y beneficiando a la economía local. El aumento de superficie protegida, distribuido en varias reservas integrales en emplazamientos adecuados, distanciadas unas decenas kilómetros, más que la reducción del esfuerzo, tendría efectos positivos sobre el poblamiento de peces y la economía local. / The aim of the present work is to study the factors that may explain the variability in distribution and intensity of artisanal fishing around a marine reserve, evaluate the reserve effect and analyze and assess the biological and economic effects of alternative configurations of a marine protected area. The results revealed that artisanal vessels used more fishing gears, but shorter, in high habitat diversity areas. The fishing yield depends of protection level, distance to marine reserve and diversity of fishing gears per unit area. The protection measures have had positive results on exploited fish populations and in the local economy. The increase of protected area surface, distributed on several no take zones at appropriate locations, a few kilometers apart, more than the reduction of the fishing effort, would have positive effects on the population of commercial fishes and the local economy.

This research presents the first coastal and marine protected areas specific quantitative management plan evaluation protocol. This critical research gap in the coastal and marine protected area (CMPA) research literature was addressed by creating a protocol for evaluating CMPA plan quality utilizing a combination of marine protected area (MPA) and land use planning techniques for the first time, then applying it to a sample of CMPAs providing both descriptive results of CMPA plan quality and analysis of factors that might influence plan quality. A sample of CMPAs (n=40) under the jurisdiction of Florida‟s Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas (CAMA) was evaluated for plan quality using 96 indicators scored as 0, 1, or 2 and then divided into five plan components: factual basis, goals and objectives, policies, tools and strategies, inter-governmental coordination and cooperation, and implementation and monitoring. Total CMPA plan quality averaged 29.40 out of a possible 50.00. CMPA plan quality ranged from 20.00 to 47.00 with a standard deviation of 7.07. Regression analysis examined the effects of CMPA context, participation, environmental threats and socioeconomic factors on CMPA plan quality. The age of CMPA plans was found to be a significant indicator of CMPA plan quality. Other significant indicators of plan quality included threatened biodiversity, participation, and percent of adjacent developed or agricultural land.

Corals, the foundation species of tropical reefs, are in rapid global decline as a result of anthropogenic disturbance. On many reefs, losses of coral have coincided with the over-harvesting of reef herbivores, resulting in ecosystem phase-shifts from coral to macroalgal dominance. It is hypothesized that abundant macroalgae inhibit coral recovery and recruitment, thereby generating ecological feedback processes that reinforce phase-shifts to macroalgae and further diminish reef function. Notwithstanding, the extent to which macroalgae directly outcompete coral, the mechanisms involved, and the species-specificity of algal-coral competition remains debated. Moreover the capacity for herbivores to prevent vs. reverse ecosystem phase-shifts to macroalgae and the roles of herbivore diversity in such phenomena remain poorly understood. Here I demonstrate with a series of field experiments in the tropical Pacific and Caribbean Sea that multiple macroalgae common to degraded reefs directly outcompete coral using chemical warfare, that these interactions are mediated by hydrophobic secondary metabolites transferred from algal to coral surfaces by direct contact, and that the outcomes of these allelopathic interactions are highly species-specific. Using field observations and experiments in the tropical Pacific, I also demonstrate that the process of herbivory attenuates the competitive effects of allelopathic algae on corals by controlling succession of algal communities, and that the herbivore species responsible for macroalgal removal possess complementary tolerances to the diversity of chemical defenses deployed among algae, creating an essential role for herbivore diversity in reversing ecosystem phase-shifts to macroalgae. Lastly, I demonstrate with field experiments in the tropical Pacific that algal-coral competition simultaneously induces allelochemicals and suppresses anti-herbivore deterrents in some algae, likely due to trade-offs in the productions of defense metabolites with differing ecological functions. Together, these studies provide strong evidence that chemically mediated competitive and consumer-prey interactions play principal roles in coral reef degradation and recovery, and should provide resource managers with vital information needed for effective management of these ecologically and economically important but threatened ecosystems.

Thesis (Ph. D. (Ichthyology and Fisheries Science))--Rhodes University, 2006.

La situation des mangroves dans le monde reste préoccupante malgré la prise de conscience de leur rôle dans le maintien de la biodiversité côtière. Les pratiques non durables de l’aquaculture extensive sont toujours majoritairement mises en cause. Le besoin d’une meilleure gestion côtière se fait sentir depuis une vingtaine d’années. Il faut reconnaitre que les avancées restent insuffisantes, particulièrement en Indonésie. Ce travail de thèse a été réalisé dans le cadre du projet INDESO. Ses objectifs étaient de décrire les changements dans les mangroves en termes de superficie, de structuration ou de composition spécifique afin d’étudier, à fine échelle spatiale, la diversité des peuplements de palétuviers, leur capacité de régénération et les tendances d’évolution de l’écosystème. Pour cela, j’ai utilisé 28 images satellitaires de télédétection optique à très haute résolution spatiale (THRS) acquises dans la période de 2001 à 2015 sur deux sites d’étude, Bali, Indonésie. J’ai participé aux inventaires forestiers et à l’identification des espèces de palétuviers du stade plantule au stade adulte. J’ai procédé par analyse visuelle des images pour différencier les plantations de palétuviers des forêts naturelles. J’ai examiné les différences entre les signatures spectrales des différentes formations de palétuviers en fonction des configurations angulaires. J’ai réalisé sur chaque image une classification supervisée qui m’a permis de comptabiliser avec une précision de quelques mètres carrés la superficie occupée par les mangroves et d’évaluer la robustesse d’une cartographie à fine échelle de zonations de mangroves.Les résultats obtenus sur l’estuaire du Perancak dégradé par l’aquaculture montrent que la surface de mangrove augmente après 2001 mais que les pratiques de plantations dans cette région n’ont rien à voir avec la réhabilitation de mangroves. Des différences majeures entre plantations et forêts naturelles existent. Ces plantations sont des cultures à très forte densité de Rhizophora, alors que les faciès naturels sont dominés par Avicennia et Sonneratia. Nos résultats montrent que la capacité de régénération dans ces plantations reste très inférieure à celle observée dans les forêts naturelles et que, si régénération il y a, c’est avec des plantules des espèces natives. A partir de l’analyse des imges, nous avons identifié les 136 bassins qui ont fait l’objet de plantations et donné l’année du semis. Le suivi de l’évolution du nombre de pixels classés ‘mangrove’ à l’intérieur de chaque bassin planté montre une grande variabilité des taux d’expansion sur 14 ans, ceci suggérant des conditions environnementales spécifiques à chaque bassin et donc l’inconséquence des pratiques généralisées de plantations à Rhizophora. Enfin, les capacités de colonisation des espèces natives y compris à l’intérieur de certains bassins semblent avérées dans cet estuaire pourtant très fragmenté. Les résultats obtenus sur les mangroves protégées de la région de Nusa Lembongan montrent le potentiel des images multi-spectrales satellitaires THRS pour cartographier différentes zonations de mangroves. Ce potentiel de discrimination est observé assez stable au cours du temps entre 4 espèces. Toutefois, des configurations angulaires avec un soleil de face ou un angle de visée proche de la verticale pourraient générer de la confusion notamment sur les peuplements à canopée ouverte. Nous avons obtenu probablement les premières cartes de mangrove de Nusa Lembongan qui montrent la complexité des zonations forestières et soutiennent l’enjeu de leur protection.L’ensemble de mon travail plaide pour une meilleure interprétation physique de la variabilité des signatures spectrales et texturales de mangrove. Il fournit des recommandations comme la nécessité d’un moratoire sur les monocultures à Rhizophora et des méthodes simples, embryons de futurs observatoires locaux pour l’évaluation et le suivi des plans de gestion côtière mis en place. / The situation of world’s mangroves remains a matter of concern, despite the public awareness about their role in the sustainability of coastal biodiversity. Extensive and intensive aquaculture practies are mainly called into question. The need for a better integrated coastal zone management arises since a couple of decades. It must be recognized that progress is insufficient especially in Indonesia.The present PhD work has been carried out in the frame of the INDESO project. The objective was to describe mangrove changes in terms of area expansion, forest structure and species composition before studying, at fine scales, the diversity of mangrove stands, their regeneration capacity and the evolution trends of the whole ecosystem in a given region.In order to achieve this aim, i used 28 very high spatial resolution (VHSR) optical satellite images aquired between 2001 and 2015. I also participated in forest inventories and species identification from the seedling to the adult stages. I visually analysed the set of images for allowing the discrimination of planted mangroves from natural ones. I examined the influence of acquisition geometry parameters on the variability of mangrove spectral signatures. Thanks to supervised maximum likelihood classifications, I succeeded in evaluating the expansion area of mangrove with an accurracy of few square meters and I proceeded in assessing the robustness of fine scale mapping of mangrove zonations.Results obtained in the analysis of the Perancak estuary highlighted that mangrove area is expanding since 2001. The plantation practices were however presented as disrespectful of any sustainable management plan. Indeed, our simple field data indicated strong differences between mangrove plantations and natural forests. Plantations were shown to be cultures of only Rhizophora species with high planting density whereas natural forest stands are composed of Sonneratia and Avicennia mangrove trees. In addition, we highlighted that the regeneration capacity in planted areas remains very lower than the ones clearly observed in natural areas. Moreover, the only regenetive process in plantations seems to be with native species and not with the planted ones. From the analysis of the VHSR images, we identified aquaculture ponds that were planted and their planting year. Consequently, we suceeded in monitoring the mangrove expansion inside every planted pond. Important variability of expansion rate was pointed out, this suggesting contrasting environments in each pond and the inadequacy of cultures of Rhizophora everywhere. The observation of natural colonization in many areas of the estuary, pond floors included, was an interesting point to mention.Besides, results obtained in the study of the protected mangrove region of Nusa Lembongan assessed the potential of multispectral VHSR satellite images for mapping mangrove zonations. Four mangrove zonations mainly dominated by different species exhibit signatures that can be differentiated over years. Different image acquisition parameters may, however, generate confusion in classification. This is particularyly true when forest stands with open canopies are observed with sun frontward or with a near vertical viewing angle because of sun light interaction with the clear waters. We probably obtained the first detailed maps of mangrove zonations in the region. They showed a complex spatial organization of mangrove zonations.The whole of my work advocated for further remote sensing works aiming at the physical interpretation of spectral and textural signatures of mangroves. It provided recommendations such as a moratorium onf Rhizophora plantation and simple methods that will be, we hope, starting points for closing the knowledge gap that hampers monitoring of future coastal zone management plans.

Intégrer les connaissances sur la connectivité écologique dans la gestion des écosystèmes marins est essentiel, surtout dans un contexte d'appauvrissement des ressources marines et de dégradation des habitats côtiers à l'échelle mondiale. Des outils environnementaux, tels que les Aires Marines Protégées ont été mises en œuvre pour protéger la biodiversité, restaurer les écosystèmes endommagés, soutenir les pêcheries et reconstituer les stocks surexploités. Leur efficacité dépend en partie du maintien de la connectivité entre les populations marines, assurée à travers divers processus écologiques dont la dispersion larvaire. Dans le cadre de ce travail de thèse, un modèle biophysique intégrant des données de courants, issues de mesures d'altimétrie par satellite, a été utilisé pour évaluer la connectivité entre les récifs de l'océan Indien d'une part, et à travers le réseau d'AMP de Méditerranée d'autre part. Différentes méthodes d'analyse ont été utilisées, telles que la théorie des graphes et le clustering. Dans l'océan Indien occidental, l'analyse des connectivités marines montre que le nombre de connexions entre les récifs augmente avec la durée de vie larvaire des poissons. Elle met également en évidence une faible connectivité à l'échelle de la région, mais une forte inter-connectivité au sein de plusieurs sous-régions (Canal du Mozambique, Mascareignes). En Méditerranée, la connectance est globalement faible à l'échelle régionale, bien que plus importante dans le bassin occidental que le bassin oriental. L'analyse des connectivités marines montre également un taux de connectivité élevé à l'échelle d'un même pays. Selon le cas d'étude, une liste de récifs ou de sites prioritaires dans la mise en œuvre des AMP a été proposée. Enfin, les implications de ces résultats en termes de politiques transfrontalières et de coopération régionale sont discutées. / Integrating ecological connectivity into marine ecosystem management and planning is important, especially in a global context of severe fish stocks depletion and growing habitat degradation. Environmental tools such as Marine Protected Areas have been proposed to protect biodiversity, restore damaged ecosystems, sustain fisheries, and rebuild overexploited stocks. The effectiveness of marine protected areas depends in part on the maintenance of connectivity between marine populations, linked by ecological processes such as larval dispersal. In this thesis, we applied a biophysical model driven by ocean currents derived from satellite altimetry to evaluate connectivity between Western Indian Ocean reefs and across the current MPA system in the Mediterranean Sea. We applied different methods of analysis such as graph-theoretic and clustering. In the Western Indian Ocean, marine connectivity analyses show that the number of connections between reefs increases with fish pelagic larval duration. It also highlights a low connectivity across the region and a high interconnectivity within several regions (Mozambique Channel, Mascarene archipelago). In the Mediterranean Sea, connectance is globally low at the regional scale. This connectance is more important in Western than Eastern Mediterranean. Moreover, the marine connectivity analyses revealed high domestic connectivity rates. Depending on the study area, priority reefs or sites for MPA implementation are proposed. Finally, implications for transboundary marine policies and regional cooperation are discussed.

In this dissertation, we are interested in the dynamics of spatially distributed populations. In particular, we focus on persistence conditions and minimal traveling periodic wave speeds for stage-structured populations in heterogeneous landscapes. The model includes structured populations of two age groups, juveniles and adults, in patchy landscapes. First, we present a stage-structured population model, where we divide the population into pre-reproductive and reproductive stages. We assume that all parameters of the two age groups are piecewise constant functions in space. We derive explicit formulas for population persistence in a single-patch landscape and in heterogeneous habitats. We find the critical size of a single patch surrounded by a non-lethal matrix habitat. We derive the dispersion relation for the juveniles-adults model in homogeneous and heterogeneous landscapes. We illustrate our results by comparing the structured population model with an appropriately scaled unstructured model. We find that a long pre-reproductive state typically increases habitat requirements for persistence and decreases spatial spread rates, but we also identify scenarios in which a population with intermediate maturation rate spreads fastest. We apply sensitivity and elasticity formulas to the critical size of a single-patch landscape and to the minimal traveling wave speed in a homogeneous landscape. Secondly, we use asymptotic techniques to find an explicit formula for the traveling periodic wave speed and to calculate the spread rates for structured populations in heterogeneous landscapes. We illustrate the power of the homogenization method by comparing the dispersion relation and the resulting minimal wave speeds for the approximation and the exact expression. We find an excellent agreement between the fully heterogeneous speed and the homogenized speed, even though the landscape period is on the same order as the diffusion coefficients and not as small as the formal derivation requires. We also generalize this work to the case of structured populations of n age groups. Lastly, we use a finite difference method to explore the numerical solutions for the juveniles-adults model. We compare numerical solutions to analytic solutions and explore population dynamics in non-linear models, where the numerical solution for the time-dependent problem converges to a steady state. We apply our theory to study various aspects of marine protected areas (MPAs). We develop a model of two age groups, juveniles and adults, in which only adults can be harvested and only outside MPAs, and recruitment is density dependent and local inside MPAs and fishing grounds. We include diffusion coefficients in density matching conditions at interfaces between MPAs and fishing grounds, and examine the effect of fish mobility and bias movement on yield and fish abundance. We find that when the bias towards MPAs is strong or the difference in diffusion coefficients is large enough, the relative density of adults inside versus outside MPAs increases with adult mobility. This observation agrees with findings from empirical studies.

Integrated coastal and ocean management (ICM) requires new management systems where social learning (SL), the joint and collaborative learning trough interaction, is a key element. The occurrence of SL and the factors that affect it were investigated by documentary analysis, observation of ongoing processes and accessment of the perception of people involved with the participatory management of a marine protected area (MPA) in Brazil. The general hypothesis is that SL can qualify participation and improve ICM. To test it, this research characterized the management of the MPA, identifying SL processes and how they were fostered/hindered, with special attention to the role of research and educational institutions and the promotion of knowledge exchange. SL was evidenced by changes in knowledge, perception of the complexity of the system, social context and in the development of new understandings among the stakeholders involved in the processes, leading to strong social organization, social empowerment and institutional changes, promoting social capital. To improve ICM through SL, five strategies are proposed: promote diverse participation, not limited to official membership; promote simultaneous discussions in small groups; favor interaction processes over rapid solutions; explore common interests; explore different roles, especially with reference to research and educational organizations. / A gestão costeira integrada (GCI) demanda novos sistemas de gestão onde a aprendizagem social (AS), a aprendizagem conjunta e colaborativa que ocorre por meio de interação, é um elemento-chave. A ocorrência de AS e os fatores que a afetam foram investigados por meio de análise documental, observação de processos em andamento e levantamento da percepção dos indivíduos envolvidos com a gestão participativa de uma área marinha protegida (AMP) no Brasil. A hipótese central é que AS pode qualificar a participação e aprimorar a GCI. Esta pesquisa caracterizou a gestão da AMP e identificou processos de AS e como eles foram favorecidos/prejudicados, com atenção especial ao papel de instituições de ensino e pesquisa e à promoção de troca de conhecimento. A AS foi evidenciada por mudanças no conhecimento, percepção da complexidade do sistema, contexto social e construção de entendimentos coletivos, fortalecendo a organização social, empoderamento social e mudanças institucionais, promovendo o capital social. Para aprimorar a GCI por meio de AS são propostas cinco estratégias: promover diversidade de participação; promover a discussão simultânea de vários problemas; favorecer processos de interação à soluções rápidas; explorar interesses comuns; explorar diferentes papéis, especialmente considerando as organizações de ensino e pesquisa.