Connecting and Connectivity Modelling at a European Seagrass Restoration Alliance Knowledge Exchange Workshop
The Oxford Seascape Ecology Lab will co-lead a knowledge exchange workshop in Bassin d’Arcachon, France to share the latest connectivity modelling approaches that can be applied in seascape restoration.
On Wednesday 9th April Courtney Stuart and the Oxford Seascape Ecology Lab will be leading a European Seascape Restoration Alliance (ESRA) knowledge exchange workshop in Bassin d’Arcachon, France in partnership with Kasper Meijer from the University of Groningen. The workshop will draw together academics, practitioners, and government partners, such as the L'Office français de la biodiversité. We will share the latest science and tools related to connectivity modelling approaches and discuss the connectivity applications best suited for the Parc naturel marin du Bassin d’Arcachon (PNMBA).
“A future seascape-oriented approach to restoration necessitates a thorough understanding of spatial patterns and ecological processes in the individual ecosystems—seaside dunes, seagrass meadows, mudflats, natural and artificial oyster reefs—as well as their connections and interactions..” - Dr Lisa Wedding
(Matt Curnock / Ocean Image Bank)
Connectivity is the degree to which the seascape facilitates or impedes the movement of matter and energy between habitats. There are two primary components of connectivity. Structural connectivity focuses on seascape configuration and composition (e.g., habitat patches and seafloor topographic features). Functional connectivity is related to the influence of seascape configuration and composition on movement of organisms and matter, and ecological processes. Seascape connectivity facilitates interactions between habitats that enhance ecosystem functioning, for example nutrient subsidies from mangroves at the land-sea interface or seagrass meadows, to oligotrophic coral reefs.
Enhanced ecosystem functioning has been attributed to positive restoration outcomes for marine habitats, highlighting the importance of considering connectivity in large-scale marine restoration efforts. However, most marine restoration initiatives do not incorporate connectivity metrics or criterion throughout the planning process. To build capacity and address this gap, the workshop aims to familiarise participants with the different types of connectivity (structural and functional), and metrics and modelling approaches available.
(Seraphim et al. 2020)
Seascape Ecology Lab member and PhD student Courtney Stuart will present her MSc research to demonstrate how modelling connectivity is foundational to a seascape restoration approach. Her study revealed how differences in habitat use between fish species were influenced by movements (connectivity) between habitat patches, and the subsequent potential for beneficial interactions between species and habitats, such as nutrient subsidies and herbivory. The workshop will also review other connectivity modelling techniques so participants understand the key tools available to consider seascape connectivity.
Workshop participants will then apply key concepts and tools to real-world problem solving in the PNMBA during the practical part of the session. Bassin d’Arcachon is an ideal living lab to consider these questions as the bay forms a mosaic of important interconnected coastal ecosystems, including Natura 2000 Protected Areas and Europe’s largest intertidal seagrass meadow. To further enhance recovery efforts in the bay, consideration of ecological connectivity in restoration planning could be vital.
(OFB, n.d.)
The workshop outcomes will highlight how quantifying ecological connectivity through spatial modelling approaches could help to plug the knowledge gaps regarding connectivity in marine restoration initiatives and inform a multi-habitat restoration design that will enhance ecosystem resilience. Over the course of the week in Arcachon, the workshop participants will also engage in a field visit to the PNMBA restoration sites under discussion for enhancing seascape connectivity. This will facilitate further knowledge exchange and place the theoretical workshop in context of the living lab site of the Bassin d’Arcachon seascape.
Workshop Factsheets can be downloaded here:
Learn more about the ecological connectivity work at the Oxford Seascape Ecology lab:
DPhil student Pirta Palola pioneered “Nutrientscape ecology: a whole system framework to support the understanding and management of coastal nutrient connectivity”
DPhil student Courtney Stuart demonstrated “Seascape connectivity modeling predicts hotspots of fish-derived nutrient provisioning to restored coral reefs”
MSc student Emily Peterson applied “Graph-theoretic modeling reveals connectivity hotspots for herbivorous reef fishes in a restored tropical island system”
References:
Seraphim, M. J., Sloman, K. A., Alexander, M. E., Janetski, N., Jompa, J., Ambo‐Rappe, R., ... & Harborne, A. R. (2020). Interactions between coral restoration and fish assemblages: implications for reef management. Journal of Fish Biology, 97(3), 633-655. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.14440
Office français de la biodiversité. (n.d.). Le parc naturel marin du bassin d'Arcachon. https://www.ofb.gouv.fr/le-parc-naturel-marin-du-bassin-darcachon