Community-led management maintains higher predator biomass supporting kelp forests persistence in Baja California
Abstract Community-led management in small-scale fisheries represents an alternative approach to marine ecosystem conservation. This work examines the effectiveness of community-led marine reserves (MRs) by comparing kelp forest canopy coverage and predator populations between two regions with diffe...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-86140-6 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849768800789987328 |
|---|---|
| author | Jeremie Bauer Rodrigo Beas-Luna Luis Malpica-Cruz Alicia Abadía-Cardoso Paulina Filz Juan Carlos Bonilla Julio Lorda |
| author_facet | Jeremie Bauer Rodrigo Beas-Luna Luis Malpica-Cruz Alicia Abadía-Cardoso Paulina Filz Juan Carlos Bonilla Julio Lorda |
| author_sort | Jeremie Bauer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Community-led management in small-scale fisheries represents an alternative approach to marine ecosystem conservation. This work examines the effectiveness of community-led marine reserves (MRs) by comparing kelp forest canopy coverage and predator populations between two regions with different social-ecological conditions along the Pacific coast of Baja California, Mexico. We analyzed kelp canopy coverage from 2004 to 2023, spanning periods before, during, and after extreme marine heatwaves (2014–2016). Additionally, we compared the density, size, and biomass of three key predator species (spiny lobster, California sheephead, and horn shark) between community-led MRs and federally managed marine protected areas (MPAs). Our analyses revealed significant regional differences in kelp forest coverage recovery following extreme warming events, with the southern region maintaining historical coverage levels while the northern region showed a 95% decline in 2023. Community-led MRs maintained significantly higher densities and biomass of predator species compared to federally managed areas, with spiny lobsters and horn sharks completely absent from northern MPAs and California sheephead showing larger sizes in community-led MRs. These findings demonstrate that community-led MRs maintain predator populations, which may be crucial for future management scenarios given the importance of predator–prey relationships in kelp forest ecosystems. For policymakers, our results suggest that incorporating local governance and community-based approaches into marine management frameworks, particularly in regions with strong fishing cooperatives and traditional management practices, could enhance conservation outcomes. This study provides evidence from the Global South that locally managed, participatory approaches can achieve effective conservation outcomes, offering insights for regions facing similar challenges in balancing resource use with ecosystem protection. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5154fb1394d94585bc43d6f97e5164dd |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-5154fb1394d94585bc43d6f97e5164dd2025-08-20T03:03:40ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-07-0115111210.1038/s41598-025-86140-6Community-led management maintains higher predator biomass supporting kelp forests persistence in Baja CaliforniaJeremie Bauer0Rodrigo Beas-Luna1Luis Malpica-Cruz2Alicia Abadía-Cardoso3Paulina Filz4Juan Carlos Bonilla5Julio Lorda6Departamento de Biotecnología Marina, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de EnsenadaFacultad de Ciencias Marinas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja CaliforniaInstituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja CaliforniaFacultad de Ciencias Marinas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja CaliforniaFacultad de Ciencias Marinas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja CaliforniaSociedad Cooperativa de Producción Pesquera La PurísimaFacultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Baja CaliforniaAbstract Community-led management in small-scale fisheries represents an alternative approach to marine ecosystem conservation. This work examines the effectiveness of community-led marine reserves (MRs) by comparing kelp forest canopy coverage and predator populations between two regions with different social-ecological conditions along the Pacific coast of Baja California, Mexico. We analyzed kelp canopy coverage from 2004 to 2023, spanning periods before, during, and after extreme marine heatwaves (2014–2016). Additionally, we compared the density, size, and biomass of three key predator species (spiny lobster, California sheephead, and horn shark) between community-led MRs and federally managed marine protected areas (MPAs). Our analyses revealed significant regional differences in kelp forest coverage recovery following extreme warming events, with the southern region maintaining historical coverage levels while the northern region showed a 95% decline in 2023. Community-led MRs maintained significantly higher densities and biomass of predator species compared to federally managed areas, with spiny lobsters and horn sharks completely absent from northern MPAs and California sheephead showing larger sizes in community-led MRs. These findings demonstrate that community-led MRs maintain predator populations, which may be crucial for future management scenarios given the importance of predator–prey relationships in kelp forest ecosystems. For policymakers, our results suggest that incorporating local governance and community-based approaches into marine management frameworks, particularly in regions with strong fishing cooperatives and traditional management practices, could enhance conservation outcomes. This study provides evidence from the Global South that locally managed, participatory approaches can achieve effective conservation outcomes, offering insights for regions facing similar challenges in balancing resource use with ecosystem protection.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-86140-6 |
| spellingShingle | Jeremie Bauer Rodrigo Beas-Luna Luis Malpica-Cruz Alicia Abadía-Cardoso Paulina Filz Juan Carlos Bonilla Julio Lorda Community-led management maintains higher predator biomass supporting kelp forests persistence in Baja California Scientific Reports |
| title | Community-led management maintains higher predator biomass supporting kelp forests persistence in Baja California |
| title_full | Community-led management maintains higher predator biomass supporting kelp forests persistence in Baja California |
| title_fullStr | Community-led management maintains higher predator biomass supporting kelp forests persistence in Baja California |
| title_full_unstemmed | Community-led management maintains higher predator biomass supporting kelp forests persistence in Baja California |
| title_short | Community-led management maintains higher predator biomass supporting kelp forests persistence in Baja California |
| title_sort | community led management maintains higher predator biomass supporting kelp forests persistence in baja california |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-86140-6 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jeremiebauer communityledmanagementmaintainshigherpredatorbiomasssupportingkelpforestspersistenceinbajacalifornia AT rodrigobeasluna communityledmanagementmaintainshigherpredatorbiomasssupportingkelpforestspersistenceinbajacalifornia AT luismalpicacruz communityledmanagementmaintainshigherpredatorbiomasssupportingkelpforestspersistenceinbajacalifornia AT aliciaabadiacardoso communityledmanagementmaintainshigherpredatorbiomasssupportingkelpforestspersistenceinbajacalifornia AT paulinafilz communityledmanagementmaintainshigherpredatorbiomasssupportingkelpforestspersistenceinbajacalifornia AT juancarlosbonilla communityledmanagementmaintainshigherpredatorbiomasssupportingkelpforestspersistenceinbajacalifornia AT juliolorda communityledmanagementmaintainshigherpredatorbiomasssupportingkelpforestspersistenceinbajacalifornia |