Conservation of marine environments: A framework and approaches

This thesis presents a framework for marine conservation, and within the context of this framework examines a number of conservation related marine research topics. A hierarchical ecological framework is developed to organize marine conservation efforts at the population, community, and ecosystem levels. This framework is then used to evaluate conservation measures at the population, community, and ecosystem levels in order to identify the most efficient and effective approaches to marine conservation. These results are then used to reevaluate the framework and provide direction on how and what ecological data should be collected, analyzed, and used at each step of the implementation of conservation efforts. This research provides a clearer understanding of what measures are required for effective conservation in marine environments at the various hierarchical levels, and provides a framework for future research and conservation efforts.