engleski

CAN RED CORAL (CORALLIUM RUBRUM) POPULATIONS BENEFIT FROM MARINE PROTECTED AREAS IN THE ADRIATIC SEA?

The great majority of marine protected areas in the eastern Adriatic Sea fail to meet their management objectives. Many common, but declining species could benefit from protected areas, but sometimes this is not a rule. The goal of this study was to assess the average proportions of the most severe long-term declining of red coral populations inside and outside protected areas in the eastern Adriatic Sea as well as their temporal stability. Several species, which are mostly dependent on human activities, exhibited a negative long- term trend. Long-lived corals are especially vulnerable to human-induced mortality, given their slow growth and low recruitment rates. Long-term data (from 2000 to 2015) of commercial marine invertebrate Corallium rubrum populations in the National Park Kornati, National Park Mljet and Nature Park Telašćica were compared with unprotected areas. Red coral populations showed no difference in abundance or size between the MPAs and adjacent control areas, all in negative trends. The data suggest fishing pressure within the MPAs is at least as high as at other “fished” sites. On average, red coral populations were up to ten times more abundant in marine protected areas in 2000 than in 2015. The MPAs had the lowest mean numbers and sizes of studied populations of all areas, no-take or open to fishing. A poaching event, which was detected during our monitoring in MPAs was associated with a loss of approximately 80% of the biomass of red coral colonies. Current populations have shown a dramatic shift in their size structures characterized by the absence of large colonies. This negative phenomenon may cause MPAs and reserves to fail to meet their targets. The lack of recovery of red coral species within the MPAs, despite the restrictions, indicates that populations were almost exterminated. Possible recovery of red coral populations may be measured by several decades or even centuries.

RED CORAL, CORALLIUM RUBRUM, MARINE PROTECTED AREAS, ADRIATIC SEA

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