Abstract

The rising threat from the invasive lionfish, the persistent degradation of sensitive coastal habitats, and the continuance of overexploitation in the greater Caribbean is of concern to fish conservationists. Establishing marine protected areas (MPAs) is one solution used to mitigate these threats. By definition, the goal of an MPA is to preserve biodiversity and ecological function; however, a lack of comprehensive species-specific data can inhibit its effectiveness (Margules and Pressey 2000). Designating MPAs without full knowledge of the distribution of threatened species can unintentionally concentrate fishing effort in areas important to the species that most need conservation (Baum et al. 2003). Furthermore, implementing conservation action aimed towards threatened species increases the value of an MPA’s conservation out-comes (Pressey et al. 2015). Identifying those species at an elevated risk for extinction via the objective, but adaptable, methods developed by the IUCN Red List is a stepping stone that can be used to systematically inform conservation priorities. The recent IUCN Red List assessments of the nearly 1,400 marine bony shorefishes of the greater Caribbean allows, for the first time, comprehensive analyses of the impact of pervasive region-wide threats on this ecologically and economically important group. The purpose of this study was to support regional conservation planning by detecting areas with the highest numbers of threatened endemics and subsequently identify opportunities for adjusting management plans or expanding MPA coverage. Results from such an analysis can also inform the targets of large-scale conservation initiatives such as the Caribbean Challenge, the SPAW List of Protected Areas, and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

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