Data from: Global and regional priorities for marine biodiversity protection

The ocean holds much of the planet's biodiversity, yet < 4% of
the ocean is within protected areas. On land, the protecting of areas with
low biodiversity and under little threat, rather than biodiversity
hotspots, is a well-known problem. Prudence suggests that we not repeat
this pattern in the ocean. Here we assessed patterns of global marine
biodiversity by evaluating the protections of 4352 species for which
geographic ranges are known, and mapping priority areas using an index
that considers species vulnerability, coverage by marine protected areas
(MPAs), and human impacts. Species have, on average, only 3.6% of their
range protected. Moreover, species of conservation concern (threatened,
small-ranged, and data deficient) have less protection than species on
average. Only 5 nations currently protect 10% or more of their exclusive
economic zone (EEZ) as strict Marine Reserves (IUCN category I–IV) in
accord with the 2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets. One nation by itself,
Australia, accounts for 65% of the global area of Marine Reserves. The
Coral Triangle is the clear and dominant global priority for biodiversity,
but we identify additional global and regional priorities in each ocean
basin. As an example, we show that for the United States, the Marianas and
Samoan Islands are the top marine conservation priorities. Despite recent
advances, the world has yet to protect most of the area and species that
need it. Where to protect those species, however, is increasingly clear.