Biology subjects

Probst, W. N.

Publications and source records attributed to Probst, W. N..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

A sea full of measures: EU conservation goals for benthic habitats will require wide-ranging spatial measures

The use of marine space by human activities is globally increasing, resulting in a competition with spatial management measures for marine conservation. Within the European Union (EU) these measures are currently implemented by the union member states to achieve the UN sustainable development goal (SDG) of protecting at least 10 % of the national marine waters. Further, the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and the Nature Restoration Regulation (NRL) are the two main legal means for the implementation of ambitious spatial conservation targets for benthic habitat types, which can range from 10 - 90 %. This study analysis how the targets of the MSFD and NRL are currently met in the German waters of the North Sea and which areas the full implementation of both legislations might require. A spatial optimisation tool ("prioritizr" in R) was used to identify optimised solutions for the conservation of up to 75 % of NRL benthic habitats. The current spatial conservation measures (which ban demersal trawling within certain zones of designated marine protected areas, MPA) are not sufficient to reach the targets of the MSFD and NRL. Extending the exclusion of demersal trawling to the entire area of the MPAs would achieve a sufficient coverage for all habitats except for offshore sand and mud habitats. These could be further protected, when including areas for offshore wind farms, where trawling is also banned. However, to date it is unclear, if and how these (or other human use) areas could be included into spatial conservation regimes, a debate that needs to be resolved to allow for the achievement of the ambitious MSFD and NRL targets.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2025

Current and future relevance of marine spatial planning for the distribution of epibenthic invertebrate and fish species in a heavily used regional sea

The SNS has recently become a European hub for installations of offshore wind farms (OWF), while extensive areas have been designated as marine protected areas (MPAs). Together with the already noticeable effects of climate warming, the region transforms from an area dominated by free ranging fisheries and shipping into an industrial landscape dominated by stationary activities. To inform decision making processes around the spatial allocation of fisheries, conservation measures and licence areas for offshore renewables in the southern North Sea, we modelled the spatial distribution of 179 epibenthic invertebrate and fish species. We identify both current and future hotspots of epibenthic and demersal fish diversity and their overlap with OWFs and MPAs. Hotspots of epibenthic and fish diversity are mostly found along the English Coast, located within an extensive network of MPA and OWF sites, which may provide opportunities for conservation and fisheries alike. In the central SNS, the MPA network could be complemented by OWF, where co-use regulations with other human uses are excluded, to protect sensitive species as well as epibenthic and demersal fish communities. Scenarios for three different time periods (until 2040, 2070 & 2100) revealed that global warming might cause an increase in the probability of occurrence for more than half of the analysed demersal fish species (n = 63). The applications in our study demonstrate the relevance of comprehensive knowledge about current, near and far future distribution patterns of species and species communities to enhance the effectiveness of marine spatial planning including spatial conservation measures.

ecology↗