A guide for planners and managers - IUCN

Table I-3. Model Habitat/Ecosystem Data Sheet to Accompany
PART I
Selection of Marine Protected Areas
Habitat/Ecosystem Maps
Habitat/ecosystem: type (e.g., salt marsh, ocean trench, atoll)
Distribution: general environment and specific locations
Area estimates: table of estimated areas by location
Support systems: general notes on probable nutrient and energy subsidy sources
Legal status: legislation that controls uses or protects the habitat or ecosystem
Importance to people: role in fisheries production, other industry, research, recreation,
coastline protection, etc.)
Threats:
Natural (natural forms of habitat/ecosystem degradation)
Human-related (specific forms of use that result in habitat/ecosystem alteration or
degradation)
Potential (proposed developments or activities that may encroach upon or degrade
the habitat/ecosystem)
Specific conservation needs, including survey, research, protection, management,
legislation, enforcement, and public awareness programs
Socioeconomic problems of habitat/ecosystem protection: existing or potential
conflicts between habitat/ecosystem uses and their control
Persons contacted: list of people who provided useful information
References: literature consulted.
Data should be collected, evaluated for consistency and adequacy, and stored
in easily retrievable form for analysis, such as on maps and in custom designed
computerized databases (GIS) that are linked by coordinates to the maps (Price, 1990).
Once data collection is complete, the information is analyzed to show areas with
concentrations of resources, human activities, and threats to resources, or any other
required information, such as areas of conflicts among activities and other interests,
or sites of specific interest (e.g., fish spawning areas). Areas with concentrations of
resources are all obvious candidates for conservation. However, the specific objectives
of the system planning process may call for strict protection of specific sites with high
value for only one interest, such as the breeding site of an endangered animal.
The simplest way to achieve this analysis is by map overlay. First, a base map
is prepared to an appropriate scale. Individual data elements (turtle beaches, seabird
islands, fishery activities, coral reefs, pinniped rookeries, and so on) are then mapped
onto transparent overlays of this base. Next, the transparencies are overlaid to show
the areas with resource concentrations. These, together with any sites with specific
interests can then be identified as candidates for selection. Overlay analysis can be
most efficiently done by GIS systems.
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