Identification of Key Habitats of Bowhead and Blue Whales in the OSPAR Area of the North-East Atlantic—A Modelling Approach towards Effective Conservation
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Species Data: Sources, Preparation and Suitability for Modelling
2.2. Definition of “Key Habitat” in the Context of the Project
2.3. Predictor Variables: Sources and Preparation
2.4. Statistical Methods
- Different species show different degrees of “patchiness” with respect to the distribution of (and strength of association with) key habitats. Thus, different sizes of protected areas are required to achieve the same strength/percentage of protection;
- the percentage of key habitats already protected by MPAs, and thus, the need for additional MPAs varies among species;
- our predicted key habitats differ in their quality of prediction, depending on both species and location (Supporting Material S2);
- for some of the species/identified locations for MPAs, protection measures may suffice for certain periods of the year (migratory species, breeding season);
- predicted key habitats of species can overlap, which increases the overall contribution of potential MPAs at those locations;
- MPAs should not be too fragmented and/or small (e.g., comprising only a few km2).
3. Results
3.1. Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus)
3.2. Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus)
4. Discussion
5. Summary and Outlook
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
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Mercker, M.; Müller, M.; Werner, T.; Hennicke, J. Identification of Key Habitats of Bowhead and Blue Whales in the OSPAR Area of the North-East Atlantic—A Modelling Approach towards Effective Conservation. J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12, 1445. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12081445
Mercker M, Müller M, Werner T, Hennicke J. Identification of Key Habitats of Bowhead and Blue Whales in the OSPAR Area of the North-East Atlantic—A Modelling Approach towards Effective Conservation. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. 2024; 12(8):1445. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12081445
Chicago/Turabian StyleMercker, Moritz, Miriam Müller, Thorsten Werner, and Janos Hennicke. 2024. "Identification of Key Habitats of Bowhead and Blue Whales in the OSPAR Area of the North-East Atlantic—A Modelling Approach towards Effective Conservation" Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 12, no. 8: 1445. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12081445