Aquatic Environment and Biodiversity Annual Review 2012

AEBAR 2012: Marine Biodiversity
and Roberts 2008); MSI’s Seamount Programme, mainly commissioned through public-good science,
supplemented by MPI projects ZBD2000-04, e.g., Rowden et al. 2002 and 2003, ZBD2001-10
(Rowden et. al 2004), ZBD2004-01 (Rowden et al. 2010) and MPI projects ENV2005-15, ENV2005-
16 (Clark et al. 2010, Rowden et al. 2008) and the Ocean Survey 20/20 programme (Clark et al.
2009); inshore surveys of bryozoans at Tasman Bay ZBD2000-03 (Grange et al. 2003); Farewell Spit,
ZBD2002-18 (Battley et al. 2005), Fiordland, ZBD2003-04 (Wing 2005); coralline algae ZBD2001-
05, ZBD2004-07 (Harvey et al. 2005, Farr et al. 2009); soft sediment environments ZBD2003-08
(Neill et al. 2011); rhodolith community study ZBD2009- 03 (Nelson et al. 2012); offshore surveys of
the Chatham Rise and Challenger Plateau funded through Ocean Survey 20/20 programme,
ZBD2006-04 (Nodder 2008) and ZBD2007-01 (Nodder et al. 2011; Hewitt et al. 2011; Bowden 2011,
Bowden and Hewitt 2012; Bowden et al. 2011b; Bowden et al. in press).
Research in the Ross Sea Region (BioRoss projects) have also generated records of new species
including MPI projects ZBD2000-02 (Page et al. 2001), ZBD2001-03 (Norkko et al. 2002),
ZBD2002-02 (Sewell et al. 2006, Sewell 2005, 2006), ZBD2003-02 (Cummings et al. 2003, 2006),
ZBD2003-03 (Rowden et al. 2012a, Rowden et al. in press), ZBD2005-03 (MacDiarmid and Stewart
2012), ZBD2006-03 (Cummings et al. 2003, 2006; Norkko et al. 2002), ZBD2008-23 (Nelson et al.
2010)and IPY2007-01 (Bowden et al. 2011a, Clark et al. 2010, Eakin et al. 2009, Hanchet, et al.
2008a Hanchet 2008b, Hanchet 2008c, Hanchet et al. 2008d. Hanchet 2009, Hanchet 2010, Koubbi et
al. in press, Lörz and Coleman 2009, Lörz in press, Lörz et al. in press, Mitchell 2008, O’Driscoll et
al. 2009. O'Driscoll 2009, O’Driscoll, et al. 2010, O’Loughlin et al. 2010)
Habitat diversity, classification and characterisation
The development of the Marine Environment Classification or “MEC” (Snelder et al. 2006) was an
important step in the delineation of areas with similar environmental attributes in the offshore
environment. However, significant environmental drivers of variability in marine biodiversity, such as
substrate type for seafloor organisms, were absent from the classification. In 2005, DOC and MPI
jointly commissioned a project to optimise the MEC using fish distribution data. This project
(ZBD2005-02) demonstrated a substantial improvement in the MEC classification for offshore
habitats (Leathwick et al. 2006a, b, c). In 2006, three projects to map coastal biodiversity were
completed in the Coromandel scallop, Foveaux Strait oyster and southern blue whiting fisheries as
part of fishery plan development for these fisheries (ZBD2005-04, ZBD2005-15, ZBD2005-16).
These projects found that the biological distribution of organisms and their habitats were not well
predicted by the MEC. MPI project (BEN2006-01) aimed to further optimise the MEC by producing a
methodology for a Benthic Optimised MEC (Leathwick et al. 2009).MPI Ecological studies to
improve habitat classification and vulnerability indices have also been completed through MPI
AEWG projects on seamounts (ENV2005-15, ENV2005-16) (e.g., Clark et al. 2010), and to
supplement other studies funded by MPI, and MSI (e.g. ZBD2004-01, ZBD2001-10, ZBD2000-04,
and CO1X0508).
Distribution maps providing indicative abundance and characterisation of biodiversity are now
emerging and have been produced through projects using predictive modelling tools e.g., Compton et
al. 2012; the fish optimised MEC in project ZBD2005-02 (Leathwick et al. 2006a, 2006b, 2006c), the
benthic optimised MEC (Leathwick et al. 2009) and Chatham-Challenger project ZBD2007-01
(Hewitt et al. 2011, Bowden et al. 2012, Compton et al. in press).
Progress has advanced considerably in recent years with the introduction of the whole-of-government
Ocean Survey 20/20 Programme and Biosecurity New Zealand mapping projects (Beaumont et al.
2008, 2010) In addition, MPI implemented spatial management tools (Benthic Protection Areas 54 )
implemented on the basis of the Marine Environment Classification 55 56 to address broader statutory
responsibilities on the environmental effects of fishing on biodiversity.
54 www.fish.govt.nz/en-nz/Environmental/Seabed+Protection+and+Research/Benthic+Protection+Areas.htm
55 Marine Environmental Classification. (2005). Can be viewed online at
http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/ser/marine-environment-classification-jun05/index.html
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