Humans are terrestrial animals, and our capacity to see and understand the importance and vulnerability of life in the sea has trailed our growing ability to harm it. While conservation biologists are working to address environmental problems humans have created on land, loss of marine biodiversity, including extinctions and habitat degradation, has received much less attention. At the same time, marine sciences such as oceanography and fisheries biology have largely ignored issues of conservation. Marine Conservation Biology brings together for the first time in a single volume leading experts from around the world to apply the lessons and thinking of conservation biology to marine issues. Contributors including James M. Acheson, Louis W. Botsford, James T. Carlton, Kristina Gjerde, Selina S. Heppell, Ransom A. Myers, Julia K. Parrish, Stephen R. Palumbi, and Daniel Pauly offer penetrating insights on the nature of marine biodiversity, what threatens it, and what humans can and must do to recover the biological integrity of the world's estuaries, coastal seas, and oceans. Sections examine: distinctive aspects of marine populations and ecosystems; threats to marine biological diversity, singly and in combination; place-based management of marine ecosystems; the often-neglected human dimensions of marine conservation. Marine Conservation Biology breaks new ground by creating the conceptual framework for the new field of marine conservation biology -- the science of protecting, recovering, and sustainably using the living sea. It synthesizes the latest knowledge and ideas from leading thinkers in disciplines ranging from larval biology to sociology, making it a must-read for research and teaching faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate and advanced undergraduate students (who share an interest in bringing conservation biology to marine issues). Likewise, its lucid scientific examinations illuminate key issues facing environmental managers, policymakers, advocates, and funders concerned with the health of our oceans.
Foreword Preface Acknowledgments
Chapter 1. Why Marine Conservation Biology? Chapter 2. Back to the Future in Marine Conservation
PART I. Marine Populations: The Basics Chapter 3. The Life of the Sea: Implications of Marine Population Biology to Conservation Policy Chapter 4. The AlCee Effect in the Sea Chapter 5. Extinction Risk in Marine Species Chapter 6. Behavioral Approaches to Marine Conservation
PART II. Threats to Marine Biological Diversity Chapter 7. The Potential for Nutrient Overenrichment to Diminish Marine Biodiversity Chapter 8. The Magnitude and Consequences of Bioinvasions in Marine Ecosystems: Implications for Conservation Biology Chapter 9. Diseases and the Conservation of Marine Biodiversity Chapter 10. Multiple Stressors in Marine Systems
PART III. The Greatest Threat: Fisheries Chapter 11. Global Fisheries and Marine Conservation: Is Coexistence Possible? Chapter 12. The Global Destruction of Bottom Habitats by Mobile Fishing Gear Chapter 13. Effects of Fishing on Long-Lived Marine Organisms Chapter 14. Evolutionary Impacts of Fishing on Target Populations Chapter 15. Are Sustainable Fisheries Achievable?
PART IV. Place-Based Management of Marine Ecosystems Chapter 16. Marine Protected Areas and Biodiversity Conservation Chapter 17. Marine Reserve Function and Design for Fisheries Management Chapter 18. Place-Based Ecosystem Management in the Open Ocean Chapter 19. Metapopulation Structure and Marine Reserves
PART V. Human Dimensions Chapter 20. Developing Rules to Manage Fisheries: A Cross-Cultural Perspective Chapter 21. The Role of Legal Regimes in Marine Conservation Chapter 22. Uncertainty in Marine Management Chapter 23. Recovering Populations and Restoring Ecosystems: Restoration of Coral Reefs and Related Marine Communities Chapter 24. Toward a Sea Ethic Chapter 25. Ending the Range Wars on the Last Frontier: Zoning the Sea
About the Editors Index
"Finally, there is a book that focuses on solutions in addition to issues and threats, and addresses crucial topics, including place-based management of marine ecosystems and the legal and ethical frameworks for ocean policy with depths, scholarship, and courage. This is a wonderful resource for learning, teaching, and inspiration."
