We are pleased to announce that the MegaMove project, led by Assoc Prof Ana Sequeira, has published another global study!
The publication, led by Assoc Prof Ana Sequeira and Dr Michelle Van Compernolle (first author), assesses species vulnerabilities to global threats derived from fishing, maritime disturbances, coastal impacts and climate change. Published in Conservation Biology, this work marks another important step forward in advancing the conservation of marine megafauna.
The study brought together more than 300 co-authors worldwide to assess 256 marine megafauna species’ vulnerability to 23 at-sea human-driven threats. This unprecedented analysis provides a critical basis for future management strategies by identifying which threats cause the most severe impacts resulting in population declines, and which have the largest scope affecting the largest number of individuals in a population.
Nine species groups were explored in depth: bony fishes, pelagic cetaceans, elasmobranchs, flying birds, penguins, pinnipeds, polar bears, sirenians (manatees and dugongs), and turtles. Results show that penguins, pinnipeds and polar bears are most affected by temperature extremes, bony fishes by drifting longlines and plastic pollution, and pelagic cetaceans by maritime disturbances such as shipping and noise. Elasmobranchs face high vulnerability from multiple fishing threats and flying birds are heavily impacted by drifting longlines and maritime pressures, while sirenians and turtles are exposed to high vulnerability across all four categories of threats. The study also examined more detailed taxa groups, splitting elasmobranchs into sharks and rays, cetaceans into baleen and toothed whales, and flying birds into procellariforms and other flying birds.
A key output of the research is the development of vulnerability scores for each species-threat combination, which will offer guidance for prioritising conservation and mitigation actions for each species. Proactive measures will be essential to safeguard marine megafauna species in the face of ongoing pressures.
This large-scale collaboration demonstrates the strength of the global scientific community in uniting to address urgent conservation challenges.
