Oceans at Risk: Research Priorities in Marine Conservation Biology

"In the end, we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand."  Baba Dioum, Senegalese naturalist and poet Introduction The marine environment encompasses a broad array of ecosystems, ranging from spectacular coral reefs and kelp forests, to coastal mangroves, seagrass beds, and salt marshes, to expansive deepsea plains interspersed with trenches, seamounts, ridges, and hydrothermal vents, to the vast open water column up to thousands of meters deep. Although the oceans cover 70.8% of the Earth's surface, we know little about all three levels of biodiversity in the sea: genetic, species, and ecosystem (general reviews by Norse 1993, NRC 1995, McAllister 1996, Ormond et al. 1997). However, we do know that marine biodiversity is extremely valuable to humankind, accounting for over 60% of the economic value of the biosphere (Costanza et al. 1997). Sea life provides five basic services to humans (reviews by Norse 1993, Daily 1997, Costanza 1999, Moberg and Folke 1999): ú ecosystem services: Examples range from the global "biological pump" that sequesters atmospheric carbon dioxide and transports carbon to the deep sea, to the regional role of coral reefs and salt marshes in moderating coastal erosion. ú food: About 20% of the animal protein consumed by humans comes from marine fisheries. ú medicines: Marine organisms are increasingly found to contain biomedically active compounds, including antitumor agents. ú minerals and chemicals: Examples include abiotic resources (fossil fuels, manganese, table salt, etc.), as well as chemicals derived from organisms (such as alginate from seaweeds and chitin from crustaceans, both used in a broad variety of food, medical, and technological applications). ú recreation and ecotourism: Marine life, especially the charismatic megafauna of the seas (marine mammals, etc.), has inspired humankind for time immemorial. Recreational use of coral reefs supports many regional economies. Despite their immense value, marine ecosystems are deteriorating rapidly due to human activities, especially physical alteration of habitat, overexploitation, species introductions, global climate change, and marine pollution The most threatened systems are coastal, especially wetlands (including estuaries, salt marshes, and mangroves), coral reefs, and communities associated with the seafloor of the continental shelves. Unfortunately, because detailed exploration of the oceans is a recent endeavor, we have little knowledge of what species are being lost (Irish and Norse 1996). It is nonetheless becoming increasingly clear that human-induced extinction in the sea is a sad and threatening reality (Carlton To date, it has been …