Global Hotspots of Whale–Ship Collision Risk: A Multi-Species Framework Integrating Critical Habitat Zonation and Shipping Pressure for Conservation Prioritization
The expansion of global maritime activities threatens marine ecosystems and biodiversity. Collisions between ships and marine megafauna profoundly impact vulnerable species such as whales, who serve as keystone predators. However, the specific regions most heavily affected by shipping traffic and th...
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MDPI AG
2025-07-01
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| author | Bei Wang Linlin Zhao Tong Lu Linjie Li Tingting Li Bailin Cong Shenghao Liu |
| author_facet | Bei Wang Linlin Zhao Tong Lu Linjie Li Tingting Li Bailin Cong Shenghao Liu |
| author_sort | Bei Wang |
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| description | The expansion of global maritime activities threatens marine ecosystems and biodiversity. Collisions between ships and marine megafauna profoundly impact vulnerable species such as whales, who serve as keystone predators. However, the specific regions most heavily affected by shipping traffic and the multi-species facing collision risk remain poorly understood. Here, we analyzed global shipping data to assess the distribution of areas with high shipping pressure and identify global hotspots for whale–ship collisions. The results reveal that high-pressure habitats are primarily distributed within exclusive economic zones (EEZs), which are generally consistent with the distribution of collision hotspots. High-pressure habitats exhibit significant spatial mismatch: 32.9% of Marine Protected Areas endure high shipping stress and yet occupy merely 1.25% of protected ocean area. Additionally, 25.1% of collision hotspots (top 1% risk) affect four or more whale species, forming critical aggregation in regions like the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Northeast Asian marginal seas. Most of these high-risk areas lack protective measures. These findings offer actionable spatial priorities for implementing targeted conservation strategies, such as the introduction of mandatory speed restrictions and dynamic vessel routing in high-risk, multi-species hotspots. By focusing on critical aggregation areas, these strategies will help mitigate whale mortality and enhance marine biodiversity protection, supporting the sustainable coexistence of maritime activities with vulnerable marine megafauna. |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj-art-9b2bf23e789e4e3390f05b71bce00b3f2025-08-20T03:36:15ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-07-011514214410.3390/ani15142144Global Hotspots of Whale–Ship Collision Risk: A Multi-Species Framework Integrating Critical Habitat Zonation and Shipping Pressure for Conservation PrioritizationBei Wang0Linlin Zhao1Tong Lu2Linjie Li3Tingting Li4Bailin Cong5Shenghao Liu6Marine Ecology Research Center, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao 266061, ChinaMarine Ecology Research Center, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao 266061, ChinaMarine Ecology Research Center, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao 266061, ChinaDepartment of Fisheries, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, ChinaMarine Ecology Research Center, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao 266061, ChinaMarine Ecology Research Center, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao 266061, ChinaMarine Ecology Research Center, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao 266061, ChinaThe expansion of global maritime activities threatens marine ecosystems and biodiversity. Collisions between ships and marine megafauna profoundly impact vulnerable species such as whales, who serve as keystone predators. However, the specific regions most heavily affected by shipping traffic and the multi-species facing collision risk remain poorly understood. Here, we analyzed global shipping data to assess the distribution of areas with high shipping pressure and identify global hotspots for whale–ship collisions. The results reveal that high-pressure habitats are primarily distributed within exclusive economic zones (EEZs), which are generally consistent with the distribution of collision hotspots. High-pressure habitats exhibit significant spatial mismatch: 32.9% of Marine Protected Areas endure high shipping stress and yet occupy merely 1.25% of protected ocean area. Additionally, 25.1% of collision hotspots (top 1% risk) affect four or more whale species, forming critical aggregation in regions like the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Northeast Asian marginal seas. Most of these high-risk areas lack protective measures. These findings offer actionable spatial priorities for implementing targeted conservation strategies, such as the introduction of mandatory speed restrictions and dynamic vessel routing in high-risk, multi-species hotspots. By focusing on critical aggregation areas, these strategies will help mitigate whale mortality and enhance marine biodiversity protection, supporting the sustainable coexistence of maritime activities with vulnerable marine megafauna.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/14/2144collision hotspotshipping environmental impactspecies distribution modelingendangered whale speciesmarine protected areasspatial planning |
| spellingShingle | Bei Wang Linlin Zhao Tong Lu Linjie Li Tingting Li Bailin Cong Shenghao Liu Global Hotspots of Whale–Ship Collision Risk: A Multi-Species Framework Integrating Critical Habitat Zonation and Shipping Pressure for Conservation Prioritization Animals collision hotspot shipping environmental impact species distribution modeling endangered whale species marine protected areas spatial planning |
| title | Global Hotspots of Whale–Ship Collision Risk: A Multi-Species Framework Integrating Critical Habitat Zonation and Shipping Pressure for Conservation Prioritization |
| title_full | Global Hotspots of Whale–Ship Collision Risk: A Multi-Species Framework Integrating Critical Habitat Zonation and Shipping Pressure for Conservation Prioritization |
| title_fullStr | Global Hotspots of Whale–Ship Collision Risk: A Multi-Species Framework Integrating Critical Habitat Zonation and Shipping Pressure for Conservation Prioritization |
| title_full_unstemmed | Global Hotspots of Whale–Ship Collision Risk: A Multi-Species Framework Integrating Critical Habitat Zonation and Shipping Pressure for Conservation Prioritization |
| title_short | Global Hotspots of Whale–Ship Collision Risk: A Multi-Species Framework Integrating Critical Habitat Zonation and Shipping Pressure for Conservation Prioritization |
| title_sort | global hotspots of whale ship collision risk a multi species framework integrating critical habitat zonation and shipping pressure for conservation prioritization |
| topic | collision hotspot shipping environmental impact species distribution modeling endangered whale species marine protected areas spatial planning |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/14/2144 |
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