Global policies increasingly focus on the importance of maintaining or improving the integrity of ecosystems, but defining, assessing, and monitoring integrity in marine protected areas (MPAs) remains a challenge. In this paper, we conceptualized ecological integrity along dimensions of heterogeneity and stability containing seven components: physical structure, diversity, function, persistence, resistance, resilience, and natural variability. Through a structured literature search, we identified indicators and metrics used for quantifying ecosystem status components in the marine environment, then reviewed MPA management plans worldwide for inclusion of these components. We evaluated 202 papers applying 83 ecological indicators built from 72 metrics. Ecosystem components were most comprehensively addressed by metrics of taxa presence, organisms count, and area occupied by benthic organisms, and community structure, biomass, and percent cover indicators. Of the 557 MPA management plans we reviewed globally, 93% used at least one ecosystem status term or its synonym in an ecologically relevant context, but 39% did not address any components of stability. In particular, resistance was mentioned in only 1% of management plans, but in some cases it may be inferred from indicators and metrics used to track the best addressed component in management plans, diversity. Plans for MPAs with both an ecological/biological purpose and a research and education purpose contained ecosystem status terms more frequently than other plans, suggesting that engagement with the scientific community may have improved the application of these terms. An improved understanding of how to operationalize and measure ecological integrity can help MPA monitoring and management.

中文翻译：

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保护生态系统完整性：生态理论指导海洋保护区监测


全球政策越来越关注维持或改善生态系统完整性的重要性，但定义、评估和监测海洋保护区 (MPA) 的完整性仍然是一个挑战。在本文中，我们沿着异质性和稳定性的维度概念化了生态完整性，包含七个组成部分：物理结构、多样性、功能、持久性、抵抗力、恢复力和自然变异性。通过结构化文献检索，我们确定了用于量化海洋环境中生态系统状态组成部分的指标和指标，然后审查了全球海洋保护区管理计划以纳入这些组成部分。我们使用由 72 个指标构建的 83 个生态指标评估了 202 篇论文。生态系统组成部分最全面地通过类群存在、生物计数和底栖生物占据的面积以及群落结构、生物量和百分比覆盖指标等指标来衡量。在我们审查的全球 557 个海洋保护区管理计划中，93% 在生态相关背景下至少使用了一个生态系统状态术语或其同义词，但 39% 没有涉及稳定性的任何组成部分。特别是，只有 1% 的管理计划提到了阻力，但在某些情况下，可以从用于跟踪管理计划中最佳解决组件多样性的指标和指标中推断出阻力。具有生态/生物目的以及研究和教育目的的海洋保护区计划比其他计划更频繁地包含生态系统状态术语，这表明与科学界的接触可能改善了这些术语的应用。更好地了解如何实施和衡量生态完整性有助于海洋保护区的监测和管理。