Setting Four Conservation Priorities in a Changing World: Site Guide Report to the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation April 16, 2018 Grant Ballard, Liz Chamberlin, Meredith Elliott, Catherine Hickey, Jaime Jahncke, Matt Reiter, Annie Schmidt, Sam Veloz, Marian Vernon and Pete Warzybok Setting Four Conservation Priorities in a Changing World: Site Guide April 16, 2018, Version 1 Point Blue Conservation Science Grant Ballard, Liz Chamberlin, Meredith Elliott, Catherine Hickey, Jaime Jahncke, Matt Reiter, Annie Schmidt, Sam Veloz, Marian Vernon and Pete Warzybok Acknowledgements This project was made possible by support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Point Blue Conservation Science – Point Blue’s 160 staff and seasonal scientists conserve birds, other wildlife and their ecosystems through scientific research and outreach. At the core of our work is ecosystem science, studying birds and other indicators of nature’s health. Visit Point Blue on the web at www.pointblue.org. Table of Contents Priority Site 1: Ross Sea, Antarctica ............................................................................................... 1 Geographical location ................................................................................................................. 1 Global significance ..................................................................................................................... 1 Baseline for studying climate change ..................................................................................... 2 Other classification ................................................................................................................. 3 Evidence of intactness/naturalness ............................................................................................. 3 Evidence of climate resilience .................................................................................................... 3 Evidence of conservation readiness ............................................................................................ 4 Most important threats and drivers of threats ............................................................................. 5 Priority Site 2: Sierra Nevada Meadows ......................................................................................... 6 Geographical location ................................................................................................................. 6 Global significance ..................................................................................................................... 6 Evidence of intactness/naturalness ............................................................................................. 8 Evidence of climate resilience .................................................................................................... 9 Evidence of conservation readiness .......................................................................................... 11 Most important threats and drivers of threats ........................................................................... 13 Priority Site 3: Pacific Americas Flyway - Maintaining a Network of Sites ................................ 15 Geographical Location .............................................................................................................. 15 Global significance ................................................................................................................... 15 Evidence of intactness/naturalness ........................................................................................... 16 Evidence of conservation readiness .......................................................................................... 16 Most important threats and drivers of threats ........................................................................... 18 Evidence of climate resilience .................................................................................................. 18 Specific flyway site descriptions .............................................................................................. 19 Yukon Delta, Alaska, USA .................................................................................................. 19 Copper River Delta, Alaska, USA ........................................................................................ 19 Tofino mudflats, British Columbia, Canada ......................................................................... 19 Willipa Bay/Grays Harbor, Washington, USA ..................................................................... 20 Complejo Lagunar San Quintín, Baja, Mexico ..................................................................... 20 Ojo de Liebre, Baja, Mexico ................................................................................................. 21 Laguna San Ignacio, Baja, Mexico ....................................................................................... 21 Marismas Nacionales, Nayarit and Sinaloa, Mexico ............................................................ 22 Delta del Rio Iscuande, Nariño, Colombia ........................................................................... 22 Bahia de Paracas, Ica, Peru ................................................................................................... 22 Humedales Orientales de Chiloé, Chile ................................................................................ 23 Priority Site 4: Greater Gulf of the Farallones Region, Central California .................................. 24 Geographical location ............................................................................................................... 24 Global significance ................................................................................................................... 25 Farallon Islands complex: ..................................................................................................... 26 Evidence of intactness/naturalness ........................................................................................... 27 Evidence of climate resilience .................................................................................................. 27 Evidence of conservation readiness .......................................................................................... 28 Greater Gulf of the Farallones Region: Fisheries management ............................................ 29 Farallon Island restoration: Mouse eradication ..................................................................... 30 Farallon Island restoration: Control/eradication of non-native vegetation ........................... 30 Most important threats and drivers of threats ........................................................................... 31 Literature Cited ......................................................................................................................... 33 Ross Sea ................................................................................................................................ 33 Sierra Nevada Meadows ....................................................................................................... 34 Pacific Americas Flyway ...................................................................................................... 37 Greater Gulf of the Farallones Region .................................................................................. 37 P a g e | 1 Priority Site 1: Ross Sea, Antarctica Geographical location The Ross Sea, south of New Zealand in the Pacific sector of the Southern (Antarctic) ocean, comprises 1.9 million square miles overlying the continental shelf and slope, from Cape Adare, Victoria Land (71° 17’S, 170° 14’E), to Cape Colbeck, Marie Byrd Land (77° 07’S, 157° 54’W); (Ainley, D G, G Ballard, J Weller 2010; Figure 1). Nearly half of the Ross Sea is covered by the Ross Ice Shelf, the largest ice shelf in Antarctica (Rignot et al. 2013); (Ainley, D G, G Ballard, J Weller 2010). The Ross Sea shelf slopes upward from south to north and is the only shallow shelf in Antarctica that is comparable to continental shelves bordering other continents (e.g. Hudson Bay, the North Sea George’s Bank (Ainley, D G, G Ballard, J Weller 2010). Figure 1. Boundary of the Ross Sea and the Ross Sea Marine Protected Area. Global significance The Ross Sea is the largest continental shelf ecosystem south of the Antarctic polar front and comprises just 2% of the Southern Ocean, but at the same time encompasses the most productive waters in the Antarctic. Recent estimates suggest annual net primary productivity in the Ross Sea sector of the Southern Ocean accounts for as much as one-third of the annual P a g e | 2 productivity of the entire Southern Ocean (Arrigo et al. 2008a), and the Ross Sea continental shelf alone accounts for more than 25% of the total CO2 uptake of the Southern Ocean (Arrigo et al. 2008b). The rich spring phytoplankton bloom contributes to the Ross Sea’s outsize role in mitigating global warming: it is responsible for 11% of all the atmospheric carbon sequestration by the world’s oceans (Arrigo et al. 2008b). This high annual production also supports globally significant populations of apex predators--it is home to an estimated 38% of the world population of Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae), including several of the largest colonies in the world, (Lynch and LaRue 2014), 26% of the world population of emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri),