Delineating and characterizing critical habitat for the Eastern Pacific olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea): Individual differences in migratory routes present challenges for conservation measures (original) (raw)

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

Abstract

The effective conservation of highly migratory marine species is only possible if core areas of activity and critical habitat can be identified within the vast and dynamic oceanic environment and later on used to delineate marine protected areas (MPAs). However, gathering population-level data and identifying universal patterns within a species or population can be difficult when only a small sample size exists and individuals are not ecologically interchangeable. In addition, the open ocean beyond the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of a country is considered the high-seas and is not part of any jurisdiction and therefore challenging to govern by laws. Granting protection to species using these waters is sometimes virtually impossible. Another challenge is the dynamic nature of the oceanic environment. MPAs are usually based on spatially explicit and static areas, but migratory routes can shift following available food, currents, and temperatures or else, potentially rendering design...

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