Historical ecology research is valuable for assessing long-term baselines and is increasingly applicable to conservation and management. In this study, we describe how historical range data can inform key aspects of protected species management, including evaluating conservation status and recovery, and determining practical management units. We examine contemporary (1973–2012) and historical (1250–1950) data on nesting beach distributions for green sea turtles Chelonia mydas in the Hawaiian Islands. Green turtle populations in Hawaii declined until federal and international protections began in the 1970s, but over the past four decades one index population has shown encouraging increases and broader recovery has been inferred. We find that 80 percent of historically major nesting populations are extirpated or have heavily reduced nesting abundances in comparison with current estimates. Furthermore, historical nesting areas were not geographically isolated, but distributed across the archipelago. In comparison, today more than 90 percent of green turtle nesting in Hawaii occurs at a single site that is vulnerable to sea level rise. This research suggests that assessing recovery without historical data on spatial patterns may overlook important ecological dynamics at the population or ecosystem level, which can result in improper or inadequate conservation assessments and recovery targets.

To plan and implement a network of marine protected areas (MPAs) in state waters as mandated by the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA), California set up a public–private partnership called the MLPA Initiative. The MLPA Initiative, which worked for almost seven years and took a significant financial investment (approximately $19.5 million in private charitable foundation funds and $18.5 million in public funds), led to the establishment of a network of 124 MPAs representing about 16 percent of state waters, up from less than 3 percent at the time the partnership began its work. This paper examines some key lessons about implementing policy through a public planning process. 

This global review of progress in spatial reserarch on human activities and social dimensions of ocean environments responds to calls for implementing ocean planning and mangement that consider the complex human relationship with ecosystems including social, cultural, political and economic dimensions. It also explores the promise social-based research has for enhancing ecosystem-based ocean planning.
 

Coral reefs are among the most diverse ecosystems on the planet but are declining because of human activities. Despite general recognition of the human role in the plight of coral reefs, the vast majority of research focuses on the ecological rather than the human dimensions of reef ecosystems, limiting our understanding of social relationships with these environments as well as potential solutions for reef recovery. We synthesize existing concepts related to SESs and present a human dimensions framework that explores the linkages between social system structural traits, human activities, ecosystem services, and human well-being in coral reef SESs.