Indication of visitor trampling impacts on intertidal seagrass beds in a New Zealand marine reserve

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are recognised as an important tool for protecting sensitive habitats and ecosystems from anthropogenic impacts. Despite this protection, many of these areas are open to non-extractive or consumptive visitor activities, which often receive little regulation. This paper examines the effects of low-impact visitor activities on Zostera marina seagrass beds within the Te Angiangi Marine Reserve, New Zealand. Seagrass cover (shoot count and blade length) was compared between an area that received high levels of visitor use and an analogous, relatively-unused area within the marine reserve. The high-use area had significantly lower seagrass cover than the control site, with a gradient of increasing impact observed closer to the beach and at the edge of a high-use swimming area. These impacts reflect estimated visitor use patterns in the area and highlight the need for additional management strategies that consider the potential impacts of seemingly 'low-impact' visitor activities on sensitive habitats within no-take MPAs.