Species that were identified as of conservation concern and those that received high scores for either vulnerability or ecological significance were recommended as ecological CPs. Criteria were applied and evaluated using information from the literature then vetted and augmented by expert opinion. Criteria for identifying ecological CPs were developed based on global best practices and were nested under the network objectives associated with Goal 1, then applied to areas and a candidate list of species found in the NSB. Area-based CPs include areas, spatial features, or habitats that directly support the network objectives under Goal 1.
Species-based CPs were identified based on the characteristics of individual species or higher-level taxa, selecting those that are ecologically important, vulnerable, or of conservation concern. We focus exclusively on Goal 1 of the Canada – BC Marine Protected Network Strategy (2014): “to protect and maintain marine biodiversity, ecological representation and special natural features”. In this paper, we develop and apply a framework to identify species- and area-based ecological CPs to inform the development of the MPA network in the Northern Shelf Bioregion (NSB) of British Columbia.
Conservation priorities (CPs) have been identified as part of systematic conservation planning processes, including Marine Protected Area (MPA) network design, to focus analyses on the most important features (species, habitats, and areas) within a planning area.
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