The
World Conference on Marine Biodiversity is well underway in Scotland and Knauss
fellows have been feasting on the wealth of knowledge and information shared by
researchers and resource managers from all over the globe. As the hub for fishing and shipping
activities and the oil and gas capital of the United Kingdom, Aberdeen (affectionately
termed the Granite City) is an appropriate venue to hold discussions about the
importance of conserving marine biodiversity.
Aside from the classic principles of biodiversity being essential to
ecosystem resilience and our very existence, experts are presenting on the
impacts of climate change, coral genetics, economics, the role of Marine
Protected Areas, and recent changes in policy and law. One of the cornerstones of this conference is
no doubt the recent successes and next steps of the ten year effort known as
the Census for Marine Life (in case you missed the memo, they discovered a
modest 20,000 new species!). This and
other themes has reminded me of the real immergence of interdisciplinary and
international conservation work, which is often the most difficult yet most
important to undertake for the marine environment.  |
| Aberdeen City Center |
As
can be expected, no meeting of biodiversity scientists and aficionados would be
complete without those passionate for plankton and benthic invertebrates. While sitting in one of these presentations on ocean productivity and biodiversity
hotspots, I was reminded of the power of bottom-up trophic effects. As it turns out, a research group in the UK
has used biodiversity indices and ocean fronts to model coastal areas that are
important for animals such as seabirds, sharks, and marine mammals (similar to our TOPP program). Where there is more benthic invertebrate
diversity and productivity, there are more forage fish, and therefore greater
megafauna diversity and abundance. This model was confirmed by satellite tagging
studies, where you can see how the foraging and migration paths of these large animals
follow the formation of currents along continental shelves on a relatively
short time scale. This information can
then be used to more quickly inform spatial planning or renewable energy development
projects such as offshore wind farms. This
concept is complicated by the seasonal and variable nature of these ocean
fronts, which the author cited as proof for the need for more flexible protected
areas. Talk about interdisciplinary!
 |
| Benthic foraminifera |
One
of highlights so far was a very inspiring plenary presentation by Jeff Ardon,
director of the Marine Conservation Biology Institute.
By speaking very charismatically on the challenges in marine
conservation in what Ardon refers to as the best and worst of times, he
reminded us that local innovation and creativity must be applied at the global
scale to minimize cheating. Strong
incentives to ignore the rules are crushing positive contributions of
science-based management around the world.
Whether neglecting to report bycatch, releasing more than your fair
share of greenhouse gases, or ignoring international protocols, cheating is
rampant and dangerous. Ardon reminded us
that despite the great technological feats of our time, we still suffer billions of
dollars in damages from Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated fishing. While local conservation triumphs are worthy
of praise, it is daunting to step back and recognize the existing
gaps in international management capacity.
These
thoughts have been an interesting start to a conference where scientists must lift
their heads from the details of benthic microfauna genetics to ensure that we
act more wisely by admitting what we don’t know yet not ignoring what we
already do know.
Tune
back in for more updates as this conference proceeds!
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