Support Of Ecosystem-based Management Research Articles

Community Science in Support of Ecosystem-Based Management: A Case Study from the Damariscotta River Estuary, Maine, USA

Community Science in Support of Ecosystem-Based Management: A Case Study from the Damariscotta River Estuary, Maine, USA

What does integrated ecosystem assessment mean to policy-makers and scientists working in the Atlantic? Implications for ocean science diplomacy

An important goal of Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) is to be an inclusive, evidence-based process to engage stakeholders, in support of ecosystem-based management. IEA is resource intensive, requiring the engagement of personnel, experts from many disciplines, public and private institutions, and including issues of technology, infrastructure, capacity building, etc. Stakeholders such as policy-makers and scientists in influential decision-making roles often determine the level of investment when committing to an IEA. It is thus critical to understand how these specific stakeholders understand and perceive IEA, as well as their motivations for engagement. We interviewed government officials, science managers and scientists whose decisions are critical for mobilizing resources (time, expertise and funding) in support of ecosystem based management (and potentially IEA) in the Atlantic Ocean. The interviews aimed at documenting their perceptions of IEA, and their motivations to engage in the process. Our results show that most of these research and policy stakeholders are generally unaware of, or have misconceptions about IEA concepts. Those who expressed awareness of IEA considered IEA as unfit to address most policy and managerial goals. We propose that the IEA process could be improved by promoting inclusivity and applying ocean science diplomacy. We see that these two aspects (inclusivity and science diplomacy) can help research and policy stakeholders understand the true meaning of IEA through negotiating, and by strengthening and diversifying the involvement of international stakeholders. We advocate that the scoping phase of an IEA is of critical importance and should be core to the whole process. It is during the scoping phase that stakeholders are identified and engaged. With their involvement, there is a need to make their interests visible and respected. During the scoping phase, a safe and open space needs to be secured, so these interests can be negotiated and mutual understanding on concepts, roles in the process and the possible outcomes are achieved. This article is part of the Mission Atlantic Project (Horizon 2020) which is designed to conduct IEAs in the Atlantic Ocean.

Aligning integrated ecosystem assessment with adaptation planning in support of ecosystem-based management

Abstract Supporting resilience is a common goal of natural resource management, but managing under changing conditions that requires adaptation is a modern challenge. A state-of-the-art framework for implementing an integrated ecosystem assessment (IEA), the NOAA IEA approach, is used as an example to demonstrate whether and how assessment in ecosystem-based management (EBM), as often implemented in fisheries, can be expected to facilitate planned adaptation. Using comparisons with another assessment framework developed for implementing a climate change adaptation project, the United Nations Development Programme-Global Environment Facility Adaptation Policy Framework (UNDP-GEF APF), this paper expands and operationalizes the concepts of managing for resilience versus change in EBM as presented by West et al.(2009). It first introduces a variety of terms from climate change adaptation literature to help institutionalize “planned adaptation” as a useful concept within fisheries, then presents an expanded map of adaptive management processes in EBM. Finally, it proposes steps for enhancing processes supporting planned adaptation in individual applications of EBM in fisheries. Steps include (i) recognizing interest and funding for adaptation planning as prerequisites, (ii) evaluating what information or actors are lacking to implement better planning, and (iii) determining what institutional processes within an adaptive management cycle need augmentation.

Fisheries management tools to support coastal and marine spatial planning: A case study from the Northern Gulf of California, Mexico

A management approach was developed that combined spatial and non-spatial tools to inform a Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning Process (CMSP) in the Puerto Peñasco-Puerto Lobos Coastal Corridor, Northern Gulf of California, Sonora, Mexico. Four fisheries management tools were applied with an emphasis on ecosystem level management for eleven small-scale fisheries. Two spatial management tools, using a spatial prioritization approach, were combined with a permit regularization process, a non-spatial quota prioritization, and a tradeoff analysis in a novel way:• Locally Managed Marine Areas were developed, these are spatial areas where individual community fishermen are assigned the rights to harvest and manage specific fisheries within defined geographic areas.• Fishery refuges that incorporate information on fisheries, ecological importance, and connectivity.• A non-spatial quota prioritization process using a framework for the integrated assessment of stocks, encompassing a vulnerability analysis, a sustainability analysis, and a management framework analysis.• A trade-off analysis of the combination of these different management tools, using an Atlantis ecosystem model for the northern Gulf of California, that tested the ecosystem effects of alternative scenarios to assess benefits in support of ecosystem-based management.

Management Strategy Evaluation Applied to Coral Reef Ecosystems in Support of Ecosystem-Based Management.

Ecosystem modelling is increasingly used to explore ecosystem-level effects of changing environmental conditions and management actions. For coral reefs there has been increasing interest in recent decades in the use of ecosystem models for evaluating the effects of fishing and the efficacy of marine protected areas. However, ecosystem models that integrate physical forcings, biogeochemical and ecological dynamics, and human induced perturbations are still underdeveloped. We applied an ecosystem model (Atlantis) to the coral reef ecosystem of Guam using a suite of management scenarios prioritized in consultation with local resource managers to review the effects of each scenario on performance measures related to the ecosystem, the reef-fish fishery (e.g., fish landings) and coral habitat. Comparing tradeoffs across the selected scenarios showed that each scenario performed best for at least one of the selected performance indicators. The integrated ‘full regulation’ scenario outperformed other scenarios with four out of the six performance metrics at the cost of reef-fish landings. This model application quantifies the socio-ecological costs and benefits of alternative management scenarios. When the effects of climate change were taken into account, several scenarios performed equally well, but none prevented a collapse in coral biomass over the next few decades assuming a business-as-usual greenhouse gas emissions scenario.

A test of the use of computer generated visualizations in support of ecosystem-based management

Systematic scenario analysis is increasingly being used as an approach to evaluate ecosystem-based management options, often using “storylines” communicated through computer-generated (CG) images or visualizations. To explore potential issues associated with using CG imagery for conveying scenarios of habitat restoration we performed experiments in the Puget Sound, Washington region in which we asked whether respondents could differentiate among images of varying seagrass density and spatial extent, and if the presence of humans in the images affected these assessments and their perceptions of ecosystem health. Respondents were able to grossly determine relative seagrass density in the images, but only about 50% of them were able to determine this perfectly. Most errors occurred when the difference in density was small: approximately 20shootm−2. The ability to correctly distinguish among images was inversely correlated with educational level. The presence or absence of people in the imagery did not influence the ability of respondents to correctly sort images, nor did it affect perceptions of ecosystem “health”. Taken together, the results suggest that such imagery can be useful as basis for communicating large differences in ecological conditions, but may be less informative as means to convey marginal changes in ecological structure. This work begins to highlight some of the pitfalls, but also the promise, of the use of CG visualization in marine resource management.

CSIRO research and development activities to address environmental issues related to offshore oil and gas development

In 2013, the Wealth from Oceans Flagship of the Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) started a new research strategy in environmental sciences to support the future needs of the offshore oil and gas industry, regulatory agencies, and the oil spill response community. Using its world class laboratory facilities and research vessels, CSIRO intends to further apply its scientific expertise in the Australasian region towards the assessment and mitigation of environmental risks related to offshore oil and gas development and accidental oil spills. This paper provides an overview of ongoing and planned research activities by CSIRO in collaboration with academia, the private sector and other government agencies to ensure the protection and sustainability of Australia’s marine resources. The program includes the conduct of integrated environmental baseline studies, the development of improved protocols for environmental effects monitoring (EEM) of operational waste discharges (e.g., drilling muds/fluids and production waters), and the application of risk assessment protocols in support of ecosystem-based management. In support of oil spill response operations, the program will also develop remediation technologies and systems to detect and model the fate and transport of contaminant hydrocarbons in the marine environment. Project deliverables of this research, which integrate operational and scientific monitoring efforts with evaluation of oil spill response technologies, will result in new equipment and standard methods that will be used by the oil industry on a global scale to reduce the cost and time spent on monitoring programs while enhancing capability, response readiness and capacity.

A Methodology for Evaluating and Ranking Water Quantity Indicators in Support of Ecosystem-Based Management

Ecosystem-based Management (EBM) is an approach that includes different management priorities and requires a balance between anthropogenic and ecological resource demands. Indicators can be used to monitor ecosystem status and trends, and assess whether projects and/or programs are leading to the achievement of management goals. As such, the careful selection of a suite of indicators is a crucial exercise. In this paper we describe an indicator evaluation and selection process designed to support the EBM approach in Puget Sound. The first step in this process was the development of a general framework for selecting indicators. The framework, designed to transparently include both scientific and policy considerations into the selection and evaluation process, was developed and then utilized in the organization and determination of a preliminary set of indicators. Next, the indicators were assessed against a set of nineteen distinct criteria that describe the model characteristics of an indicator. A literature review was performed for each indicator to determine the extent to which it satisfied each of the evaluation criteria. The result of each literature review was summarized in a numerical matrix, allowing comparison, and demonstrating the extent of scientific reliability. Finally, an approach for ranking indicators was developed to explore the effects of intended purpose on indicator selection. We identified several sets of scientifically valid and policy-relevant indicators that included metrics such as annual-7 day low flow and water system reliability, which are supportive of the EBM approach in the Puget Sound.

Science in support of ecosystem-based management for the US West Coast and beyond

Declining ocean health, increasing human demands on marine ecosystems, and a history of management focused on individual activities, species or sectors has led to calls for more comprehensive, integrated management that considers entire coupled social-ecological systems. This transition to ecosystem-based management (EBM) for the oceans will certainly face a number of hurdles, and many practitioners struggle with how to move forward with EBM. In this paper, we assess whether the necessary science exists to support EBM. Specifically, we evaluate the state of the social and natural sciences for three research areas that are critical to EBM: (1) ecosystem services, (2) cumulative impacts, and (3) ecosystem variability and change. For each of the three research areas, we describe its importance to EBM and assess existing and emerging information and application of this knowledge, focusing on the US West Coast. We conclude that available science is not the bottleneck for moving forward with comprehensive EBM for this region, although we highlight important remaining knowledge gaps, particularly within the social sciences. Given imperfect and uncertain knowledge, EBM calls for an adaptive management approach, starting with readily available information, and continuously adapting as new information emerges. This synthesis can serve as a basis for comparison for other regions; it provides guidance for organizing information in support of EBM and outlines many novel and broadly applicable scientific approaches.

Why compare marine ecosystems?

Abstract Murawski, S. A., Steele, J. H., Taylor, P., Fogarty, M. J., Sissenwine, M. P., Ford, M., and Suchman, C. 2010. Why compare marine ecosystems? – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 67: 1–9. Effective marine ecosystem-based management (EBM) requires understanding the key processes and relationships controlling the aspects of biodiversity, productivity, and resilience to perturbations. Unfortunately, the scales, complexity, and non-linear dynamics that characterize marine ecosystems often confound managing for these properties. Nevertheless, scientifically derived decision-support tools (DSTs) are needed to account for impacts resulting from a variety of simultaneous human activities. Three possible methodologies for revealing mechanisms necessary to develop DSTs for EBM are: (i) controlled experimentation, (ii) iterative programmes of observation and modelling (“learning by doing”), and (iii) comparative ecosystem analysis. We have seen that controlled experiments are limited in capturing the complexity necessary to develop models of marine ecosystem dynamics with sufficient realism at appropriate scales. Iterative programmes of observation, model building, and assessment are useful for specific ecosystem issues but rarely lead to generally transferable products. Comparative ecosystem analyses may be the most effective, building on the first two by inferring ecosystem processes based on comparisons and contrasts of ecosystem response to human-induced factors. We propose a hierarchical system of ecosystem comparisons to include within-ecosystem comparisons (utilizing temporal and spatial changes in relation to human activities), within-ecosystem-type comparisons (e.g. coral reefs, temperate continental shelves, upwelling areas), and cross-ecosystem-type comparisons (e.g. coral reefs vs. boreal, terrestrial vs. marine ecosystems). Such a hierarchical comparative approach should lead to better understanding of the processes controlling biodiversity, productivity, and the resilience of marine ecosystems. In turn, better understanding of these processes will lead to the development of increasingly general laws, hypotheses, functional forms, governing equations, and broad interpretations of ecosystem responses to human activities, ultimately improving DSTs in support of EBM.