WCS 3-Sentence Science

For Migratory Marine Species: It’s all about Connectivity

October 4, 2019

CREDIT: JOHN DELANEY

Each year, Wildlife Conservation Society scientists publish more than 300 peer-reviewed studies and papers. “WCS 3-Sentence Science” is a regular tip-sheet — in bite sized helpings — of some of this published work.

Here we present work by WCS’s Ocean Giants program on the importance of migratory connectivity to development of international marine policy.

1. For migratory marine fishes, marine mammals, seabirds, sharks, and sea turtles that span local, national and international jurisdictions, connectivity — the geographical linking of individuals and populations throughout their migratory cycles — influences population abundance, distribution, and species persistence.
2. Researchers reviewed the concept of migratory connectivity and its use in international policy, and described the Migratory Connectivity in the Ocean system — a migratory connectivity evidence-base for the ocean.
3. They propose that without such collaboration focused on migratory connectivity, efforts to effectively conserve these critical species across jurisdictions will have limited effect.

Study and Journal: “The importance of migratory connectivity for global ocean policy” from Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
WCS Co-Author(s): Angela Formia, WCS Ocean Giants Program; Andres Salazar, WCS Colombia

For more information, contact: Stephen Sautner, 718–220–3682, ssautner@wcs.org.