Caution over the use of ecological big data for conservation

Available here as IOTC-2021-WPEB17(AS)-INF06

Highly collaborative and data-intensive ecology studies are at the fore-front of innovative solutions to global issues in conservation and natural resource management1,2. In their spatial risk assessment of industrial-ized fishing, Queiroz et al.3 use big data and collaborative science to outline a global conservation blueprint for pelagic sharks. In Austral-ian waters, their analysis incorrectly identified global risk ‘hotspots’ in areas that are not subject to fishing and where spatial closures and other management measures are already in place to protect sharks. We highlight the potential for large-scale global analyses to misdirect conservation efforts if not aligned with regional needs and priorities.