@article {392,
	title = {An alternative approach for managing scuba diving in small marine protected areas},
	journal = {Aquatic conservation marine and freshwater ecosystems},
	year = {2006},
	abstract = {<p>1. As the interest of divers in exploring marine protected areas grows,  so does their impact on sensitive marine organisms and communities. This  situation has led managers to adopt a variety of measures to manage  scuba diving in marine reserves. However, if marine areas need to be  managed and protected from the adverse effects of human activities, then  the characterization of marine habitats and the communities they  contain, along with the potential effects of scuba diving, will need to  be evaluated on scientific lines.2. To this end, the use of benthic  mapping, together with an evaluation of community vulnerability,  constitutes a complementary tool for managing scuba diving, as is  demonstrated in the present study.3. The identification and evaluation  of the different communities observed in Cabo de Palos-Islas Hormigas  Marine Reserve enables managers to propose different measures for  controlling potential diver impact and also for evaluating the effects  of these measures, thus reducing the degradation of the benthic  organisms and communities, benefiting the local tourism industry and  allowing a more sustainable use of the marine reserve resources.</p>},
	keywords = {assemblage, benthic assemblage, Cabo de Palos-Islas Hormigas, decision making, habitat, impact, island, management, management tool, mapping, marine protected area, marine reserve, Mediterranean sea, protected area, protection measure, scuba-diving, Spain, tourism, western Mediterranean},
	author = {J. Lloret and F. Carreno and L. Marin-Guirao and A. Marin}
}
