Marine Reserves: A Tool for Ecosystem Management and Conservation

The goal of this report is to summarize current information on one emerging tool in marine ecosystem management--fully protected marine reserves. To place this tool in its biological perspective requires an additional focus on marine ecosystems, how they function, the types of threats they face, and how reserves can address them. The chapters focus on the biology of reserves, how they fit into current management schemes, how they differ from traditional management, and the hope they bring to solving daunting problems.