| dc.description.abstract | Although there is considerable momentum for expanding protected area coverage under the 30x30 paradigm, there is key criticism of the existing targets in that they are not linked to conservation outcomes and marine biodiversity loss continues despite the rise in protection efforts. The success of different forms of conservation strategies is contingent on species-specific characteristics, such as behavior, life-history traits, migratory range, as well as the nature of existing threatening processes. Due to their small average size (<10 km2) Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) can be more beneficial for endemic species that are localized to smaller regions, than for larger and pelagic migratory species that inhabit and travel over larger ranges. This research develops a conservation classification scheme for the threatened species of the order of carpet sharks, Orectolobiformes, that considers the species based on their distribution, biology, and threats to their populations. This group was chosen due to the large diversity in the size and traits of the species it encompasses; ranging from the Halmahera Epaulette Shark that reaches a maximum length of 70 cm and inhabits a geographic range of 14,446 km2 versus the significantly larger Whale Shark that can grow to a length of 21 meters and migrates over 171,000,000 km2. The findings reveal that only a third (39.3%) of the threatened Orectolobiformes would benefit exclusively from site-scale protection whereas the other 60.8% require either a combination of MPAs and broad-scale measures, or solely the latter; illustrating that MPAs might not be the solution for protecting all marine biodiversity. Furthermore, almost no direct relationship was discerned between the species’ geographic ranges, habitat types or threats to their populations, and the conservation categories they were classified in; further signifying that conservation actions must match the individual species they are intended for.
Keywords: Carpet sharks, Orectolobiformes, Biodiversity, Marine Protected Areas, Conservation, Geographic Range, Site-scale, Broad-scale | en_US |
