title: From principles to practice: a spatial approach to systematic conservation planning in the deep sea.
abstract: Increases in the demand and price for industrial metals, combined with advances in technological capabilities have now made deep-sea mining more feasible and economically viable. In order to balance economic interests with the conservation of abyssal plain ecosystems, it is becoming increasingly important to develop a systematic approach to spatial management and zoning of the deep sea. Here, we describe an expert-driven systematic conservation planning process applied to inform science-based recommendations to the International Seabed Authority for a system of deep-sea marine protected areas (MPAs) to safeguard biodiversity and ecosystem function in an abyssal Pacific region targeted for nodule mining (e.g. the Clarion-Clipperton fracture zone, CCZ). Our use of geospatial analysis and expert opinion in forming the recommendations allowed us to stratify the proposed network by biophysical gradients, maximize the number of biologically unique seamounts within each subregion, and minimize socioeconomic impacts. The resulting proposal for an MPA network (nine replicate 400 × 400 km MPAs) covers 24% (1 440 000 km(2)) of the total CCZ planning region and serves as example of swift and pre-emptive conservation planning across an unprecedented area in the deep sea. As pressure from resource extraction increases in the future, the scientific guiding principles outlined in this research can serve as a basis for collaborative international approaches to ocean management.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, , 445 Saunders Hall, 2424 Maile Way, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA, NOAA Biogeography Branch, , 1305 East-West Hwy, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA, Department of Biology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, , Edmondson Hall, 2538 McCarthy Mall, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA, Department of Oceanography, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, , 1000 Pope Road, Marine Science Building 205, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California at Santa Barbara, , 2400 Bren Hall, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-5131, USA, Center for Ocean Solutions, Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, , 99 Pacific Street, Suite 555E, Monterey, CA 93940, USA.
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Wedding
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Friedlander
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Kittinger
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Watling
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Gaines
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Hardy
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D044822:Biodiversity; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D008906:Mining; D009792:Oceans and Seas
keywords: abyssal plains; deep sea; geographic information system; marine protected area network; systematic conservation planning