Informing species conservation at multiple scales using data collected for marine mammal stock assessments.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Conservation planning and the design of marine protected areas (MPAs) requires spatially explicit information on the distribution of ecological features. Most species of marine mammals range over large areas and across multiple planning regions. The spatial distributions of marine mammals are difficult to predict using habitat modelling at ecological scales because of insufficient understanding of their habitat needs, however, relevant information may be available from surveys conducted to inform mandatory stock assessments.

Methodology and results

We use a 20-year time series of systematic aerial surveys of dugong (Dugong dugong) abundance to create spatially-explicit models of dugong distribution and relative density at the scale of the coastal waters of northea

SUBMITTER: Grech A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3065465 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature