Why is a Marine Reserve important?

Both the habitat and the species inside the reserve being protected means marine reserves have higher biodiversity than unprotected areas. Biodiversity is how many different types of living things there are in an area, and having higher biodiversity makes places more resilient to disturbances. Similarly, areas with higher biodiversity will also be more resilient to the effects of climate change. In a marine reserve with many different species, there is a higher chance some of them will be able to tolerate higher temperatures and ocean acidity, and so will remain there and survive.

Marine reserves also act as a buffer or ‘insurance’ for fisheries, both commercial and recreational. If the numbers of a particular species get extremely low outside the reserve, there will still be plenty doing fine inside the reserve. Gradually, the young produced by the fish inside the reserve will help to increase the outside numbers again.

Marine reserves are places in the ocean where no fishing is allowed. This helps animals like kelp to grow back. Kelp is a type of seaweed that provides a home for many different sea creatures. Some sea creatures, like kina, like to eat kelp. But kina also have predators, like snapper and crayfish. When snapper and crayfish are caught by fishermen, there are fewer of them to eat kina. This means that kina can eat all the kelp, leaving behind bare rocks. But in marine reserves, there are more snapper and crayfish, so they can eat the kina and keep the kelp growing. This helps lots of different sea creatures to have a home.

In Summary – Marine Reserves:

• Provide a safe habitat for fish and other species to breed
• Encourage ecosystems to return to natural state
• Act as a buffer for fisheries

Keywords

• Marine Reserve
• Habitat
• Biodiversity