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To a large degree, the MEOW system is not new, but is an effort to bring together a great array of existing biogeographic literature, both published and unpublished. Every effort has been made to produce a system that nests within, or links down, to existing regional systems. There are also close synergies with some of the existing global systems (i.e. Large Marine Ecoregions, and the works of Longhurst, Briggs, Hayden, and Bailey).
Two partners have already been using the concept of marine ecoregions as planning units for some time (see Marine Ecoregional Assessments on ConserveOnline, and WWF’s Global 200 Ecoregions). These Conservancy and WWF Global 200 (G200) ecoregions were among those reviewed by the MEOW Working Group. The Conservancy ecoregions mostly follow very similar biogeographic protocols to those sought by the MEOW classification and they have been largely been adopted, although several have been renamed to better suit a global nomenclature. The definition and delineation of G200 ecoregions was not always clearly documented; doing so has been a long-identified need. The MEOW ecoregions are typically smaller than the G200 ecoregions and more equivalent to the "subregions" of G200 ecoregions. In most cases (as with the G200 terrestrial ecoregions) the fine scale ecoregions described by the MEOW can be amalgamated up to form approximately G200 units.
Over 200 primary references were reviewed. At the same time, further review and input has been provided by biogeographers worldwide.
The MEOW Working Group included the following:
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The Nature Conservancy: Mark Spalding, Zach Ferdana, Jennifer Molnar, James Robertson |
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World Wildlife Fund: Helen Fox, Al Lombana, Miguel Jorge, Kate Newman |
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Western Australian Museum: Gerald Allen |
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Ramsar Convention Secretariat: Nick Davidson
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International Water Mangement Institue and Ramsar Scientific and Technical Review Panel: Max Finlayson |
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National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis: Ben Halpern |
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Redpath Museum, Montreal, Canada: Sara Lourie |
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IUCN - The World Conservation Union: Kirsten Martin |
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UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre: Edmund McManus |
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Wildlife Conservation Society: Cheri Recchia |
These individuals and organizations, represent people with a practical interest in conservation and conservation planning rather than in academic biogeography and the MEOW is intended to put the thinking of biogeographers into a useful and useable framework for conservation planning and reporting.
Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Mark Godfrey (boats of Derawan island, Indonesia, Sulawes Sea/Makassar Strait ecoregion); Photo © Lynn McBride (flower hat jelly, Temperate South America realm).
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