The Case for Biome Stewardship Councils

Abstract

Protecting global ecosystems is often hindered by the problem of insufficient political will within countries and the need for effective cross-boundary management. We propose here a novel solution in which the biome itself (i.e., large ecosystems with similar climate, soils, plants, and animals) becomes the basic governance unit. Biome Stewardship Councils would comprise groups of individuals elected or nominated by local community organizations that reside in the regions making up their respective biomes, including a few government officials who are deemed to be particularly sensitive to ecosystem protection. The goal of Biome Stewardship Councils would be to maximize ecosystem protection and human welfare within a biome. They would lead regional collaboration to characterize threats to ecosystem services within the biome and develop and apply strategies to restore and maintain healthy services.