New research in TREE “Translating Marine Animal Tracking Data into Conservation Policy and Management”

Posted on by

Tracking data are collected around the world, but the data often end up in repositories or are summarized in an academic publication without translation to management or conservation opportunities. Recently, tracking data are becoming more and more relevant for management and conservation, and Hays and colleagues summarized some of the species and ocean ecosystems where concrete examples are available.

Figure 1

Abstract: There have been efforts around the globe to track individuals of many marine species and assess their movements and distribution, with the putative goal of supporting their conservation and management. Determining whether, and how, tracking data have been successfully applied to address real-world conservation issues is, however, difficult. Here, we compile a broad range of case studies from diverse marine taxa to show how tracking data have helped inform conservation policy and management, including reductions in fisheries bycatch and vessel strikes, and the design and administration of marine protected areas and important habitats. Using these examples, we highlight pathways through which the past and future investment in collecting animal tracking data might be better used to achieve tangible conservation benefits.

G.C. Hays, H. Bailey, S.J. Bograd, W.D. Bowen, C. Campagna, R.H. Carmichael, P. Casale, A. Chiaradia, D.P. Costa, E. Cuevas, P.J.N. de Bruyn, M.P. Dias, C.M. Duarte, D.C. Dunn, P.H. Dutton, N. Esteban, A. Friedlaender, K.T. Goetz, B.J. Godley, P.N. Halpin, M. Hamann, N. Hammerschlag, R. Harcourt, A.L. Harrison, E.L. Hazen, M.R. Heupel, E. Hoyt, N.E. Humphries, C.Y. Kot, J.S.E. Lea, H. Marsh, S.M. Maxwell, C.R. McMahon, G. Notarbartolo di Sciara, D.M. Palacios, R.A. Phillips, D. Righton, G. Schofield, J.A. Seminoff, C.A. Simpfendorfer, D.W. Sims, A. Takahashi, M.J. Tetley, M. Thums, P.N. Trathan, S. Villegas-Amtmann, R.S. Wells, S.D. Whiting, N.E. Wildermann, A.M.M. Sequeira, 2019. Translating marine animal tracking data into conservation policy and management. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2019.01.009. PDF

Share this post:

Share on LinkedIn