Page 46 - climate-change2013

In conclusion

There are still large gaps in our knowledge about the dynamic conditions or other factors might also result
future impact of climate change, but we can already see in different vulnerabilities for the marine communities
some early signs of its effects on marine communities within those MPAs. Overall, this makes it difficult to
in the Mediterranean. Climate change is likely to have delineate specific adaptation approaches for the entire
drastic effects on the habitat of the flora and fauna of MPA network. Effective management will thus require a
MPAs but the impact will vary between different Medi- flexible approach, in which capacity building and moni-
terranean regions and between individual MPAs within toring will be crucial for understanding the changes that
each region. MPAs located in the more northerly Medi- occur and informing the conservation approaches to be
terranean areas could have an important role to play adopted, which will have to be adjusted as new infor-
in preserving endemic and native species as they shift mation becomes available.
their ranges with warming temperatures. Local hydro-

The dusky grouper Epinephelus marginatus. Photo: J. Garrabou

44 COLLECTION