A Conceptual Framework for Incorporating Human Dimensions Into Integrated Ecosystem Assessments

Marysia Szymkowiak

doi:10.3389/fmars.2021.617054

Abstract

The evolution of fisheries science and management toward an ecosystem perspective necessitates the meaningful incorporation of human dimensions. Whereas great strides have been made over the last several decades at moving toward ecosystem based fisheries management (EBFM), largely through the development of integrated ecosystem assessments (IEAs), the inclusion of human dimensions into these efforts has often been fragmentary and, in juxtaposition to the biophysical dynamics, sometimes even seemingly superficial. This presents a great challenge to the accuracy and applicability of these results, as the lack of appropriate incorporation of humans can be problematic in terms of both social and biophysical consequences. This study systematically documents current social science understanding of the multiple human dimensions that should be incorporated within ecosystem assessments and the overall approach to each of these within IEAs and other EBFM efforts. These dimensions include the multi-faceted nature of human well-being, heterogeneity in human well-being derived from fisheries, adaptive behaviors, and cumulative effects. The systematic inclusion of these dimensions into IEAs is then laid out in a conceptual framework that details how a perturbation reverberates through a fisheries system and the iterative approach that should be undertaken to understand its impacts on human dimensions. This framework is supplemented with a data collection scheme that is intended to facilitate operationalization. The detailed examination of incorporating human dimensions within IEAs presented in this study should further resonate with other ecosystem assessment efforts, providing not just ample evidence of the need for moving beyond simplistic assumptions of human homogeneity but a means of systematically integrating a more realistic and representative perspective.

Highlights

The movement toward ecosystem based fisheries management (EBFM) is guided by a growing awareness that a holistic perspective, inclusive of various biophysical components as well as complex human dimensions, can improve the efficacy of policy making by understanding the tradeoffs between management objectives and integrating cumulative impacts on key componentsIntegrating Human Dimensions Within Ecosystem Assessments of marine systems (Link and Browman, 2014)
Qualitative network models (QNMs) are mathematical representations used to operationalize conceptual models, which examine the qualitative impacts of a perturbation on an ecosystem through dynamic simulations (Dambacher et al, 2009)
It should be noted that there are multiple mechanisms for integrating human dimensions into fisheries management beyond quantitative ecosystem assessments, including indicators (Szymkowiak and Kasperski, 2020), social impact assessments (Hall-Arber et al, 2009), and analyses of management outcomes (Szymkowiak and Kasperski, 2020), this study focuses on ecosystem assessments due to their increasing utilization as part of the shift toward EBFM

Summary

Introduction

The movement toward ecosystem based fisheries management (EBFM) is guided by a growing awareness that a holistic perspective, inclusive of various biophysical components as well as complex human dimensions, can improve the efficacy of policy making by understanding the tradeoffs between management objectives and integrating cumulative impacts on key componentsIntegrating Human Dimensions Within Ecosystem Assessments of marine systems (Link and Browman, 2014). Whereas cumulative effects of fisheries perturbations on human populations have not been integrated into ecosystem assessments, there have been a number of social science studies examining such impacts (Tuler et al, 2008; Murray et al, 2010; Ringer et al, 2018).

Results

Conclusion