Towards climate-smart, three-dimensional protected areas for biodiversity conservation in the high seas
- Journal:
- Nature Climate Change
- Published:
- DOI:
- 10.1038/s41558-022-01323-7
- Affiliations:
- 12
- Authors:
- 11
Research Highlight
Adding depth to marine life conservation
© Vicki Smith/Moment/Getty Images
A new approach to protecting biodiversity in the oceans that accounts for how they vary with depth can help to identify the most strategic areas to protect.
To protect marine life from climate change and other threats, protected zones of seas, oceans and estuaries have been established in which human activities such as fishing are restricted. Most of these areas are relatively shallow, coastal waters. But it is also vital to safeguard the high seas that are several kilometres deep.
Now, a team led by researchers from The University of Queensland in Australia has used 3D models to identify areas of the high seas that are resilient to climate change at all depths.
They achieved this be using considering data at four depth ranges for nearly 13,000 marine species. The resulting ‘climate-smart’ conservation areas represent 6% of the world’s high seas.
References
- Nature Climate Change 12, 402–407 (2022). doi: 10.1038/s41558-022-01323-7