New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Science News
from research organizations

New Tool For Marine Conservation

Date:
July 3, 2007
Source:
American Institute of Biological Sciences
Summary:
Marine Ecoregions of the World, a new, biogeographic classification of regional and shelf waters, identifies 232 distinct ecoregions. The hierarchical scheme aims to aid research and marine conservation.
Share:
FULL STORY

In the July/August 2007 issue of BioScience, Mark D. Spalding of The Nature Conservancy and fourteen colleagues from around the world describe a new biogeographic classification of the world's marine coastal and shelf areas, Marine Ecoregions of the World, that is expected to be a valuable tool for conservation planning.

The new, hierarchical system is synthesized from past global and regional classifications and extensive expert consultation. It includes 232 distinct ecoregions nested within 62 provinces that are in turn grouped into 12 realms. Each ecoregion has a relatively homogenous and distinct species composition. The classification, which avoids significant limitations of older schemes, is based on organisms found both in the sea and on the sea bottom and is considered likely to be useful out to a depth of 200 meters. Coastal and shelf waters have greater species numbers and higher productivity than the adjacent deep ocean, and are biogeographically distinct.

Spalding and colleagues believe their classification scheme will enable marine gap analyses, an important approach for identifying areas crucial for conserving endangered species, as well as other types of studies on coastal and shelf biodiversity. The Nature Conservancy and the World Wildlife Fund already have begun to use the Marine Ecoregions of the World system.

BioScience, the monthly journal of the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), publishes commentary and peer-reviewed articles covering a wide range of biological fields, with a focus on "Organisms from Molecules to the Environment." The journal has been published since 1964. AIBS is an umbrella organization for professional scientific societies and organizations that are involved with biology. It represents some 200 member societies and organizations with a combined membership of about 250,000.


Story Source:

Materials provided by American Institute of Biological Sciences. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Cite This Page:

American Institute of Biological Sciences. "New Tool For Marine Conservation." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 3 July 2007. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070702084212.htm>.
American Institute of Biological Sciences. (2007, July 3). New Tool For Marine Conservation. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 4, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070702084212.htm
American Institute of Biological Sciences. "New Tool For Marine Conservation." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070702084212.htm (accessed December 4, 2024).

Explore More

from ScienceDaily

RELATED STORIES