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Umbrella effect of spotted seal conservation and achieving 30 × 30 targets in the Yellow Sea ecoregion

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Abstract

The Yellow Sea ecoregion (YSE) is internationally recognized as a global conservation priority due to its abundant natural resources. However, habitat destruction and loss severely threaten its biodiversity, resulting in its classification as an IUCN endangered ecosystem. The spotted seal (Phoca largha), a charismatic flagship species of the YSE, has received increasing conservation investment. There is an urgent need to understand the umbrella effect of spotted seal conservation to clarify future actions for the conservation of biodiversity inhabiting the YSE. In this study, we identified the top 5%, 10% and 30% conservation priority areas (CPA) for spotted seals. We examined their spatial overlap with 108 IUCN threatened species and coastal wetlands while also analyzing if the layout of existing protected areas is effective in conserving spotted seals. The results showed that the threatened species in the YSE were primarily fish, with a total of 88 species. The top 5% CPA encompassed approximately 80% of threatened species and 17% of coastal wetlands within the YSE. Expanding protection to include these areas would result in umbrella protection covering up to 97% of threatened species and 71% of coastal wetlands when reaching a 30% threshold. The spatial coverage of existing marine protected areas (MPAs) for threatened biodiversity fell below that of the top 5% CPA. However, the MPAs only covered approximately 34% of the top 5% CPA despite accounting for merely 9.46% of the total area within the YSE. Aquatic germplasm reserves (AGRs) exhibited superior performance among the various types of MPAs assessed, with overlap proportions ranging 58–75% with CPA. Therefore, future efforts should prioritize following the conservation priorities outlined for spotted seals during the progress toward achieving the “30 by 30” Kunming-Montreal Global Target by year 2030 within the YSE with an emphasis on recognizing and preserving the AGRs’ role in in situ conservation.

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Data availability

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article and its supplementary information files.

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Funding

This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 32201433), Qingdao postdoctoral application project (QDBSH202205), National Key R & D Program of China (2022YFF0802204), and World Wildlife Fund (project code: Ocean-A000588).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Observation and Research Station of Bohai Eco-Corridor and Key Laboratory of Marine Eco-Environmental Science and Technology, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources of the People’s Republic of China, Qingdao, People’s Republic of China

    Hongfei Zhuang, Fangyuan Qu, Linlin Zhao & Zhaohui Zhang

  2. Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao, People’s Republic of China

    Hongfei Zhuang, Fangyuan Qu, Linlin Zhao & Zhaohui Zhang

  3. Liaoning Ocean and Fisheries Science Research Institude, Dalian, People’s Republic of China

    Zhichuang Lu

Authors
  1. Hongfei Zhuang
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  2. Fangyuan Qu
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  4. Linlin Zhao
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  5. Zhaohui Zhang
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Contributions

Hongfei Zhuang and Linlin Zhao contributed to conception and design of the study. Zhichuang Lu organized the database. Hongfei Zhuang and Fangyuan Qu performed the statistical analysis. Hongfei Zhuang wrote the first draft of the manuscript. Fangyuan Qu, Zhichuang Lu, Linlin Zhao, and Zhaohui Zhang wrote sections of the manuscript. All authors contributed to manuscript revision, read, and approved the submitted version.

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Correspondence to Linlin Zhao or Zhaohui Zhang.

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Zhuang, H., Qu, F., Lu, Z. et al. Umbrella effect of spotted seal conservation and achieving 30 × 30 targets in the Yellow Sea ecoregion. Rev Fish Biol Fisheries (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-024-09873-z

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