Should We Protect the Strong or the Weak? Risk, Resilience, and the Selection of Marine Protected Areas

摘要: It is thought that recovery of marine habitats from uncontrollable disturbance may be faster in reserves than unprotected habitats. But which should protected, those areas at greatest risk or least risk? We first defined this problem mathematically for 2 alternate conservation objectives. then analytically solved both objectives and determined under conditions each the different protection strategies was optimal. If objective to maximize chance having 1 healthy site, best strategy site lowest risk. On other hand, if goal expected number sites, optimal more complex. protected sites were likely spend a significant amount time degraded state, it protect low-risk sites. Alternatively, most generally then, counterintuitively, higher applied these situation cyclone coral reefs on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. With regard disturbance, reef differed dramatically, depending speed reefs. An adequate consideration fundamental all actions can indicate surprising routes success.