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Published VersionCC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Important Shark and Ray Areas can inform conservation planning in the Mediterranean and Black Seas
iScience, Vol.28(8), pp.1-21
2025
PMID: 40948560
Abstract
The designation of protected areas needs to accelerate rapidly to achieve Target 3 of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), raising concerns that protected area quality will be overlooked. Rather than basing systematic conservation planning primarily on species ranges, critical habitats for life history functions should be prioritized to enhance conservation outcomes. Such critical habitats are being identified as “Important Areas,” including Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRA) for chondrichthyans. Solutions from systematic conservation planning scenarios with 73 chondrichthyan species in the Mediterranean and Black Seas greatly differed between approaches that ignore or include ISRAs. Including ISRAs led to higher costs for fisheries but protected a similar surface area (∼27% in both scenarios), while achieving better conservation outcomes. We highlight ways of reducing fishing costs while maintaining ISRA-based solutions. Systematic conservation planning using Important Areas gives decision makers a tool to balance cost with improved conservation quality, ultimately enhancing protected area network effectiveness by prioritizing critical habitats.
Details
- Title
- Important Shark and Ray Areas can inform conservation planning in the Mediterranean and Black Seas
- Authors
- Christoph Andreas Rohner (Corresponding Author) - Marine Megafauna FoundationAnthony J Richardson (Author) - The University of QueenslandEmiliano García-Rodríguez (Author) - International Union for Conservation of Nature - Species Survival Commission: Shark Specialist Group (United Arab Emirates)Ryan Charles (Author) - International Union for Conservation of Nature - Species Survival Commission: Shark Specialist Group (United Arab Emirates)Amanda Batlle-Morera (Author) - International Union for Conservation of Nature - Species Survival Commission: Shark Specialist Group (United Arab Emirates)Jenny R Bortoluzzi (Author) - International Union for Conservation of Nature - Species Survival Commission: Shark Specialist Group (United Arab Emirates)Théophile L. Mouton (Author) - International Union for Conservation of Nature - Species Survival Commission: Shark Specialist Group (United Arab Emirates)Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara (Author) - Tethys Research InstituteAsia Haines (Armstrong) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringJason D Everett (Author) - The University of QueenslandRigers Bakiu (Author) - Agricultural University of TiranaAdi Barash (Author) - Tel Aviv UniversityMichel Bariche (Author) - American University of BeirutNuri Basusta (Author) - Fırat Üniversitesi HastanesiCaroline Bousquet (Author) - Office de l'Environnement de la Corse (France)Ilija Cetkovic (Author) - University of MontenegroIoannis Giovos (Author) - iSea, Environmental Organisation for the Preservation of the Aquatic Ecosystems (Greece)Javier Guallart (Author)Roxani Naasan Aga-Spyridopoulou (Author) - iSea, Environmental Organisation for the Preservation of the Aquatic Ecosystems (Greece)Simone Niedermueller (Author) - WWF ItaliaGabriel Morey (Author)Marco Milazzo (Author) - University of PalermoFabrizio Serena (Author) - National Research CouncilEsmail Shakman (Author) - University of TripoliAlen Soldo (Author) - University of SplitRima W Jabado (Author) - International Union for Conservation of Nature - Species Survival Commission: Shark Specialist Group (United Arab Emirates)
- Publication details
- iScience, Vol.28(8), pp.1-21
- Publisher
- Cell Press
- Date published
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.isci.2025.113192
- ISSN
- 2589-0042
- PMID
- 40948560
- Copyright note
- © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
- Data Availability
- Data: Links to data repositories are in the key resources table. Additionally, all updated species range map shapefiles from the regions are available upon request. Code: All original code has been deposited on GitHub and is publicly available at https://github.com/SpatialPlanning/ISRA_Systematic-Conservation-Planning as of the date of publication. Other Items: Any additional information required to reanalyze the data reported in this article is available from the lead contact upon request.
- Grant note
- This project was funded by the Shark Conservation Fund, a philanthropic collaborative pooling expertise and resources to meet the threats facing the world’s sharks and rays. The Shark Conservation Fund is a project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991162645602621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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