Prioritising areas for dugong conservation in a marine protected area using a spatially explicit population model

Grech, Alana, and Marsh, Helene (2007) Prioritising areas for dugong conservation in a marine protected area using a spatially explicit population model. Applied GIS, 3 (2). pp. 1-14.

[img] PDF
Download (544kB)
View at Publisher Website: http://arrow.monash.edu.au/hdl/1959.1/51...
 
10
1716


Abstract

The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA) covers an area of approximately 348,000km2 making it the world's largest World Heritage Area / marine protected area complex. Dugongs (Dugong dugon) inhabit the shallow protected waters of the GBRWHA, and were an explicit reason for the region's World Heritage listing. To manage dugongs effectively in the GBRWHA, it is critical to understand their spatial relationship with their environment and the human activities that threaten them. We demonstrate how a spatially explicit dugong population model can be used to prioritise conservation initiatives for dugongs in the GBRWHA. We used information collected from dugong aerial surveys in conjunction with geostatistical techniques, including universal kriging, to develop a model of dugong distribution and abundance. After completing the model, we conducted frequency analyses to categorise relative dugong density and distribution to identify areas of low, medium or high conservation value. As dugongs extend over a wide distributional range, prioritising areas of conservation value has the potential to be an important basis for administering management resources. We conclude that spatially explicit population models are an effective component of species conservation management, particularly for species that range over large, complex and dynamic regions.

Item ID: 2678
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 1832-5505
Keywords: spatial distribution; dugong; universal kriging; marine protected areas
Additional Information:

Applied GIS is an international, refereed, open source journal.

Date Deposited: 03 Jul 2009 05:55
FoR Codes: 06 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 0699 Other Biological Sciences > 069999 Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified @ 100%
SEO Codes: 97 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 970106 Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences @ 100%
Downloads: Total: 1716
Last 12 Months: 22
More Statistics

Actions (Repository Staff Only)

Item Control Page Item Control Page