The Future of Marine Megafauna

Dear Colleagues,

Marine biodiversity is in global decline due to direct and indirect anthropogenic impacts resulting from unsustainable exploitation, invasive species, pollution, and climate change, causing changes in the abundance, distribution, and diversity of marine organisms and consequently the changes in the structure of marine ecosystems and habitats.

Continued human impact threatens biodiversity through degrading habitats and perturbs the functioning of ecosystems, affecting the ecology and behaviour of species, populations, and communities and requiring urgent action to address the biodiversity crisis. The biodiversity of megafauna is acutely subjected to human pressures despite the increase in the number of marine policies for the conservation and protection of protected marine areas.

Marine megafauna including sharks, rays, fishes, mammals, birds, and turtles with a broad taxonomic distribution are especially threatened. Here, we consider all species over 10 kg as megafauna. If the current trajectories are maintained, over the next 100 years, more than 18% of marine megafauna species will be lost. 

Actions are urgently required to prevent extinctions and to recover species by reducing direct and indirect threats. There are significant knowledge gaps concerning marine species that currently compromise the development of ocean conservation policy and the successful addressing of UN Sustainable Development Goal 14 Life Below Water. It is critical that research fills these gaps to maintain, recover, and protect healthy and resilient ecosystems. 

The Special Issue aims to integrate sections of biology (marine biology, ecology, zoology, conservation biology, and biodiversity) to improve our knowledge of marine megafauna to halt their extinction and manage their recovery.

Contributions are welcome on areas including, but not limited to, the following:

• Empirical biology, behavioural ecology, ethology, physiology, and ecology of marine megafauna (including responses from individuals and populations).
• Patterns and processes of living strategies.
• Evolutionary biology, genetics, and life history characteristics.
• Anthropogenic threats and their impacts on all marine ecosystems: overlap and interactions with human activities.
• Marine ecological critical areas and natural capital.
• Conservation and management strategies.

Prof. Dr. Vincent L. Bels
Prof. Dr. John R. Turner
Guest Editors

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• marine biodiversity
• marine megafauna
• anthropogenic impacts
• conservation biology
• marine ecosystems
• behavioural ecology
• marine protected areas (MPAs)
• ecological resilience
• evolutionary biology
• species recovery strategies