Benthic bacterial communities indicate anthropogenic activity footprints in coastal area under long-term marine spatial planning practice

Marine spatial planning(MSP)is designed to divide the sea area into different types of functional zones,to implement corresponding development activities.However,the long-term impacts of anthropogenic activities associated with MSP practice on the marine microbial biosphere are still unclear.Yalu River Estuary,a coastal region in northeast of China,has been divided into fishery&agricultural(F&A)zone,shipping&port(S&P)zone and marine protected area(MPA)zone by a local MSP guideline that has been run for decades.To examine the effects of long-term executed MSP,benthic bacterial communities from different MSP zones were obtained and compared in this study.The results revealed significant differences in the bacterial community structure and predict functions among different zones.Bacterial genera enriched in different zones were identified,including SBR1031 in MPA,Woeseia and Sva0996 in S&P,and Halioglobus in F&A.In addition,correlations between some bacterial genera and sediment pollutants were uncovered.Furthermore,bacteria related to sulphide production were more abundant in the F&A zone,which was according to the accumulation of sulphides in this area.Moreover,bacteria associated with chemoheterotrophy and fermentation were more predominant in the S&P zone,consistent with high levels of organic matter and petroleum caused by shipping.Our findings indicated benthic bacterial communities could bring to light the anthropogenic activity footprints by different activities induced by long-term MSP practice.

Offshore Wind Power for Marine Conservation

The seas of northern Europe are strongly affected by human activities and there is a great need for improved marine conservation. The same region is also the current hotspot for offshore wind power development. Wind farms can have negative environmental impacts during construction, but during the operational phase many organisms are attracted to the foundations and thereby may also find refuge from fisheries. Given the recent implementation of marine spatial planning in Europe and elsewhere, this is a critical time to address potential compatibility and synergies between marine conservation and wind power. This review concludes that offshore wind farms can be at least as effective as existing marine protected areas in terms of creating refuges for benthic habitats, benthos, fish and marine mammals. The degree of advantage for these organisms depends on the location of the wind farm and the level of imposed fishing restriction. Under certain conditions wind farms may even be more efficient means of conservation than ordinary marine protected areas. However, offshore wind farms can be negative for several species of seabirds, essentially as occupying preferred feeding or wintering grounds. In areas important to these seabirds wind farms may not comply with conservation. The results bring important messages to marine spatial planning as some but not all wind farms can be spatially combined with, and even synergistic to, marine conservation.

The development of spatial decision support system tool for marine spatial planning

A major problem associated with marine spatial planning(MSP)involves the difficult and time-consuming practice of creating a scenario that encompasses complex datasets in near real time via the use of a simple spatial analysis method.Moreover,decision-makers require a reliable,user-friendly system to quickly and accessibly acquire accurate spatial planning information.The development of national spatial data infrastructure(NSDI),which links the spatial data of a nation’s many diverse institutions,may pave the way for the development of a tool that can better utilize spatial datasets,such as a spatial decision support system(SDSS).Thus,this project aimed to develop an SDSS for MSP and to evaluate the feasibility of its integration within the NSDI framework.The seaweed culture was selected as an example due to its economic and technological acceptance by traditional fishers.Additionally,a multicriteria analysis was used to develop the tool.Furthermore,a feasibility evaluation of its implementation within the NSDI framework was conducted based on the Delphi method.The results of the assessment indicated that the SDSS can be incorporated into the NSDI framework by addressing the policy issue–one map policy,updating custodians’decree and data,and improve the standard and protocol.

Lessons from a Marine Spatial Planning data management process for Ireland

This paper presents a framework containing ten components to deliver a data management process for the storage and management of data used for Marine Spatial Planning(MSP)in Ireland.The work includes a data process flow and a recommended solution architecture.The architecture includes a central data catalogue and a spatial storage system.The components of the process are presented to maximise the reuse potential of any dataset within an MSP context.The terms‘Suitability’and‘Readiness’in the MSP context are offered as both formal and considered assessments of data,as is the applicability of a data stewardship maturity matrix.How data contained in such a storage system can be published externally to potential consumers of these data is also explored.The process presents a means of managing data and metadata to ensure data lineage is optimised by carrying information about the origin of and the processing applied to the data;to evaluate the quality and relevance of geospatial datasets for use in MSP decisions in Ireland.The process was piloted in the National Marine Planning Framework for Ireland in the development of draft map products;feedback from the public consultation is ongoing and not presented.

Principles for managing marine ecosystems prone to tipping points

As climatic changes and human uses intensify,resource managers and other decision makers are taking actions to either avoid or respond to ecosystem tipping points,or dramatic shifts in structure and function that are often costly and hard to reverse.Evidence indicates that explicitly addressing tipping points leads to improved management outcomes.Drawing on theory and examples from marine systems,we distill a set of seven principles to guide effective management in ecosystems with tipping points,derived from the best available science.These principles are based on observations that tipping points(1)are possible everywhere,(2)are associated with intense and/or multifaceted human use,(3)may be preceded by changes in earlywarning indicators,(4)may redistribute benefits among stakeholders,(5)affect the relative costs of action and inaction,(6)suggest biologically informed management targets,and(7)often require an adaptive response to monitoring.We suggest that early action to preserve system resilience is likely more practical,affordable,and effective than late action to halt or reverse a tipping point.We articulate a conceptual approach to management focused on linking management targets to thresholds,tracking early-warning signals of ecosystem instability,and stepping up investment in monitoring and mitigation as the likelihood of dramatic ecosystem change increases.This approach can simplify and economize management by allowing decision makers to capitalize on the increasing value of precise information about threshold relationships when a system is closer to tipping or by ensuring that restoration effort is sufficient to tip a system into the desired regime.