Abstract:
Temperate coastal marine ecosystems have undergone severe global loss and degradation. International goals to restore planetary resilience through climate mitigation, reversing biodiversity loss and ameliorating pollution are set out by key international policy frameworks, namely: the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Global Biodiversity Framework and the Sustainable Development Goals. We provide a logical framework for marine ecological connectivity and present evidence that connectivity plays a key role in achieving these international policy targets through maintenance and delivery of ecosystem functions and services. Evidence of structural and functional connectivity across temperate seascapes is framed around nutrients, carbon, trophic connectivity and biodiversity loss. Based on this evidence, we define and advocate for a seascape approach to restoration, and consider the policy implications, rooted in the understanding that coastal ecosystems are dynamic and heterogeneous mosaics of habitats interconnected by a body of water through which living things, matter and energy flow.
Biography
Joanne Preston is a leading expert in coastal restoration ecology, based at the Institute of Marine Sciences, University of Portsmouth. Her research group focuses on understanding the biodiversity, function, connectivity and value of marine biogenic coastal habitats and applying this to effective practice and monitoring of ecological restoration at seascape scale. In 2017 she founded the UK/Ireland Native Oyster Network with the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), was a founding advisory board member for the European Native Oyster Restoration Alliance and currently leads its Monitoring Working Group. Working with a group of expert authors, Joanne edited a series of habitat restoration handbooks launched at COP26. Currently she is scientific monitoring lead for the ELSP funded Solent Seascape Project and is working on projects for DEFRA, CEFAS and NERC to quantify and value the ecosystem services provided by coastal habitats. In 2022, Joanne co-led the first UK conference on ecological connectivity across the temperate seascape at the ZSL bringing habitat experts together to advocate a seascape approach to ecosystem restoration. Since 2019 she has been awarded 8 grants, supervised 6 Phd students and authored over 30 scientific publications. She leads the University of Portsmouth Marine Ecology and Conservation degree module.
The Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery and Biodiversity Network are interested in promoting a wide variety of views and opinions on nature recovery from researchers and practitioners.
The views, opinions and positions expressed within this lecture are those of the author alone, they do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery/Biodiversity Network, or its researchers.
