Baja California To The Bering Sea: A North American Marine Conservation Initiative

The Pacific region off the coast of North America has undergone dramatic changes over the past fifty years. These include: declines in Steller sea lion and sea otter populations in Alaska; decreases in salmon populations in British Columbia and Washington State; increased populations of fish such as Pollock in the Bering Sea; changes in food supply for sea birds; and changes in the migration of gray whales. Although the causes of these changes are not fully understood, they are forcing scientists to think about the need to move beyond the current focus on economically important species to a marine management approach.For a number of years, marine protected areas (MPAs) have been advocated by some scientists and conservationists as a tool which can contribute to better management of the marine environment through a holistic ecosystem approach, in contrast to traditional species-by-species management. While some steps have been taken to establish MPAs in the Baja to Bering Sea region, the current system is considered to be inadequate (IUCN 1995), and much work remains to be done. Marine protected areas are only one part of the equation if we are to succeed in ensuring the long term integrity of marine ecosystems. We will need to consider how we use the areas outside marine protected areas, and how we can ensure that critical ecosystem connections are maintained, allowing the core protected areas to truly protect biodiversity.In addressing challenges to marine conservation in the Pacific waters stretching from the Baja Peninsula, Mexico, to the Bering Sea, Alaska, we begin with a review of the physical, oceanographic, and biological properties of Pacific waters-from the Baja to the Bering Sea-and demonstrate the connected ecosystem nature of this region. This is followed by a description of some of the potential focal species which could be used to develop a marine conservation strategy. Human influences and environmental trends in the region along this coast are then discussed, prior to a summary of the existing marine 'protected area networks in each country. The paper ends with a discussion of how we can learn from the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, and develop a conservation strategy for the Baja to Bering Sea region. In sum, this paper explores the rapidly developing field of conservation biology and how it can guide a new approach to the conservation of marine life on the Pacific Coast of North America.