On shallow rocky and coral reefs, cultural and recreational values, like aesthetics, are critical aspects of Nature’s Contributions to People (NCP) that support human well-being and provide billions of dollars in tourism revenue. Quantifying the aesthetic value of reef ecosystems and uncovering the conditions that enhance it could support NCP-based management. Here, we combine a global dataset of reef fish surveys, species-level aesthetic values, and causal modeling to assess the global status and drivers of reef fish assemblage aesthetic value. We find that aesthetic value is inherently linked to species richness, displaying a latitudinal gradient with peaks in the tropics, but varies strongly with the presence of exceptionally beautiful or less-beautiful species. Sea surface temperature, primary productivity, human gravity, and protection status are the strongest drivers of assemblage-level aesthetic value. Protection against human impacts consistently enhances aesthetic value by boosting taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity, and this effect is greatest in species-rich, tropical ecoregions. Economic development has little influence, indicating that low-income countries are not constrained from maintaining beautiful fish assemblages. Our results therefore suggest that marine protected areas (MPAs) can support multiple NCPs simultaneously, particularly in developing tropical countries. While we highlight the effectiveness of MPAs, given the low level of marine protection globally and the sensitivity of aesthetic value to environmental conditions, the beauty of the world’s reefs appears severely threatened. Aesthetic value should be immediately integrated into reef conservation and management plans.
McLean M., Mouillot D., Langlois J., Arif S., Bejarano S., Casajus N., Edgar G.J., Flandrin U., Guilhaumon F., Judah A.B., Loiseau N., MacNeil M.A., Maire E., Stuart-Smith R.D. and Mouquet N. (2025) Conserving the beauty of the world’s reef fish assemblages. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 122(25). 10.1073/pnas.2415931122
@article{McLean2025,
Title = {Conserving the beauty of the world’s reef fish assemblages},
Author = {McLean, Matthew and Mouillot, David and Langlois, Juliette and Arif, Suchinta and Bejarano, Sonia and Casajus, Nicolas and Edgar, Graham J. and Flandrin, Ulysse and Guilhaumon, François and Judah, Aaron B. and Loiseau, Nicolas and MacNeil, M. Aaron and Maire, Eva and Stuart-Smith, Rick D. and Mouquet, Nicolas},
Editor = {},
Journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences},
Year = {2025},
Volume = {122},
Doi = {10.1073/pnas.2415931122},
Abstract = {On shallow rocky and coral reefs, cultural and recreational values, like aesthetics, are critical aspects of Nature’s Contributions to People (NCP) that support human well-being and provide billions of dollars in tourism revenue. Quantifying the aesthetic value of reef ecosystems and uncovering the conditions that enhance it could support NCP-based management. Here, we combine a global dataset of reef fish surveys, species-level aesthetic values, and causal modeling to assess the global status and drivers of reef fish assemblage aesthetic value. We find that aesthetic value is inherently linked to species richness, displaying a latitudinal gradient with peaks in the tropics, but varies strongly with the presence of exceptionally beautiful or less-beautiful species. Sea surface temperature, primary productivity, human gravity, and protection status are the strongest drivers of assemblage-level aesthetic value. Protection against human impacts consistently enhances aesthetic value by boosting taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity, and this effect is greatest in species-rich, tropical ecoregions. Economic development has little influence, indicating that low-income countries are not constrained from maintaining beautiful fish assemblages. Our results therefore suggest that marine protected areas (MPAs) can support multiple NCPs simultaneously, particularly in developing tropical countries. While we highlight the effectiveness of MPAs, given the low level of marine protection globally and the sensitivity of aesthetic value to environmental conditions, the beauty of the world’s reefs appears severely threatened. Aesthetic value should be immediately integrated into reef conservation and management plans.},
}
TY - JOUR
AU - McLean, Matthew
AU - Mouillot, David
AU - Langlois, Juliette
AU - Arif, Suchinta
AU - Bejarano, Sonia
AU - Casajus, Nicolas
AU - Edgar, Graham J.
AU - Flandrin, Ulysse
AU - Guilhaumon, François
AU - Judah, Aaron B.
AU - Loiseau, Nicolas
AU - MacNeil, M. Aaron
AU - Maire, Eva
AU - Stuart-Smith, Rick D.
AU - Mouquet, Nicolas
TI - Conserving the beauty of the world’s reef fish assemblages
T2 - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
PY - 2025
VL - 122
DO - 10.1073/pnas.2415931122
AB - On shallow rocky and coral reefs, cultural and recreational values, like aesthetics, are critical aspects of Nature’s Contributions to People (NCP) that support human well-being and provide billions of dollars in tourism revenue. Quantifying the aesthetic value of reef ecosystems and uncovering the conditions that enhance it could support NCP-based management. Here, we combine a global dataset of reef fish surveys, species-level aesthetic values, and causal modeling to assess the global status and drivers of reef fish assemblage aesthetic value. We find that aesthetic value is inherently linked to species richness, displaying a latitudinal gradient with peaks in the tropics, but varies strongly with the presence of exceptionally beautiful or less-beautiful species. Sea surface temperature, primary productivity, human gravity, and protection status are the strongest drivers of assemblage-level aesthetic value. Protection against human impacts consistently enhances aesthetic value by boosting taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity, and this effect is greatest in species-rich, tropical ecoregions. Economic development has little influence, indicating that low-income countries are not constrained from maintaining beautiful fish assemblages. Our results therefore suggest that marine protected areas (MPAs) can support multiple NCPs simultaneously, particularly in developing tropical countries. While we highlight the effectiveness of MPAs, given the low level of marine protection globally and the sensitivity of aesthetic value to environmental conditions, the beauty of the world’s reefs appears severely threatened. Aesthetic value should be immediately integrated into reef conservation and management plans.
ER -
