Rocky Intertidal Ecosystems, California South Coast MPA Baseline Study, 2001 to 2014

The South Coast Study Region (SCSR) encompasses a broad section of southern California including both mainland and island coastal regions. The exceptionally high diversity of marine life in this region is largely due to the mixing of several major oceanographic current systems, and the region is characterized by strong gradients in environmental conditions. Rocky shores characterize approximately 26.83% of the SCSR, and in many areas attract a large number of individuals who frequent the intertidal zone for recreation, education, and for collecting flora and fauna for food, fish bait, or decoration. Rocky intertidal ecosystems are one of the most heavily human-­‐impacted ecosystems along the mainland southern California coast (in addition to sandy beaches) due to their ease of access, and has made them particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of human activities resulting from both extraction (harvesting and collecting) as well as physicaldisturbance (trampling, overturning and handling).