Download Ecosystem Approaches to Management

Ecosystem Approaches to Management:
The EGT’s Work in Progress
 Characteristics of Ecosystem Approaches to
Management (EAM)
 A Science Strategy Supporting EAM
 EGT’s Way Forward
Steven Murawski
NOAA Ecosystem Goal Team Lead
…XI-XV
How to Implement
Ecosystem
Management
There is no manual for what we are attempting!
10 Common Myths Regarding EAM
• EAM is not well defined and we don’t
know how to do it….. [nonsense!]
• Complex models of species interactions
are necessary to guide EAM
• MPAs are an essential component of EAM
(=equivalent)
• There is insufficient information for any
area to answer all ecosystem questions
for EAM
• There are no good examples of EAM in
practice anywhere in the world
myths, continued….
• EAM is too difficult to apply in
multinational settings
• EAM can only apply to a few developed
countries in the world because of the
technical and financial resources required
• There are no good sets of principles or
guidelines for implementing EAM
• It is impossible to establish boundaries
necessary to implement EAM
• EAM only pertains to biological
interactions among components but not
other complex phenomena including
social-economic relationships, climate
change, etc.
Ecosystem Mandates:
A Paradigm Shift or Evolution?
Current Mandates
Individual Species
Narrow Perspective & Scale
Human Activities Evaluated for
Individual activities
Resource Management by Sectors
Scientific Monitoring programs
Focused narrowly
Single Use and Purpose Observations
Focus on Managing
Ecosystem parts
Future Mandates
Multiple Species
Broad Perspective & Scale
Humans Integral to Ecosystem
Integrated Resource Management
Adaptive Management Based
On Scientific Monitoring
Shared and Standardized Observations
Focus on Ecosystem Relationships,
Processes, and Tradeoffs
Growing Consensus on What Objectives of EAM
IUCN – 12 Principles of the Ecosystem Approach*
• Objectives of land, water and LR management are a matter
of societal choice
• Management should be decentralized to the lowest level
possible
• Managers should consider effects on adjacent ecosystems
• Consider economic effects to:
- reduce market distortions that adversely affect
ecosystems
- align incentives that promote biodiversity
- internalize costs and benefits in a given ecosystem
• Conservation of ecosystem structure & function to maintain
services should be a priority
* Shepherd, 2004
IUCNs Ecosystem Approach – cont.
• Ecosystems managed within limits of their functioning
• EA undertaken at appropriate spatial and temporal
scales
• Recognizing temporal variability & lag effects,
objectives should be set for the long term
• Management must recognize that change is
inevitable
• EA should seek the appropriate balance between &
integration of conservation and use of biodiversity
• EA should consider all forms of relevant information,
including scientific and ingigenous and local
knowledge
• EA should involve all relevant sectors of society &
scientific disciplines
NOAA Working Definitions for EAM*
• An ecosystem is a geographically specified system of
organisms (including humans), the environment, and
the processes that control its dynamics.
• Characteristics of EAM are:
- adaptive,
- incremental,
- takes account of ecosystem knowledge and
uncertainties,
- considers multiple external influences,
- strives to balance diverse social objectives, and
- geographically specified.
* NOAA’s Ecosystem Goal Team (EGT)
Operational Objectives for EAM
(1) Develop broad Stakeholder-Based
Governance system
(2) Conserve essential Parts of the ecosystem
(3) Conserve essential ecosystem Processes
Question, if (2) is done well, is (3) necessary?
Many Recent Publications Proposing
General Objectives for EAM, EBM
Develop Ecosystem Governance System

Manage Tradeoffs
- among fisheries sectors, optimize fishery benefits, prevent
sequential depletion/effort transfer, use management
processes that are fair, equitable and transparent, consider
cumulative impacts, evaluate impacts of non-fishery
sectors, include diverse stakeholder views
 Use Adaptive Approaches to Management
- consider multiple causes for observed changes and
sources of uncertainty in assessment & prediction, reverse
burden of proof where consequences are great, imbed
experiments in management approaches to increase
ecosystem knowledge

Establish Appropriate Ecosystem Boundaries
- allows for interconnections between adjacent ecosystems,
allows for imports and exports, includes multiple spatial
scales depending on issue - paradox of scale
Elements of Regional Ecosystem Governance
Fishery Management
(council, state, state
Commissions,
International agreements)
Protected Resource
Management
(MMPA, ESA, Birds
Etc.)
interaction
Water Quality
Management
(EPA, states, etc.)
Coastal & EEZ
Modifications
(COE, MMS, etc.)
Need for
coordination
Other management authorities for navigation, food quality/safety,
International agreements, climate change, etc.
• synthesizes observations
• conducts process research to link
dynamics between components
• develops status indicators for
individual components & ecosystems
• provides forecasts of status & trends
Management
Decision
Support
Systems
communication
• evaluate effects of
policy choices/tradeoffs
• provides forum for resolving conflicting
uses of ecosystems
• develops management measures to
achieve strategic goals for species &
ecosystems
Integrated
Ecosystem
Governance
Systems
• develop management
options to achieve goals
Communication
Outreach
Inputs from
Multiple, Diverse
Stakeholders
• provides users perspectives
on desired outcomes for
decisions
Biological, Economic, Social
Ecosystem Observing
System (e-IOOS)
• develop types, frequency &
spatial density of observations
Science Components Supporting
Ecosystem Approaches to Management
Geographically Specified
-2-
Geographic Continuum - Scales of Ecosystem Processes
Whales
Surface chlorophyll
Time/Space Scales
Marine Ecosystem Geography
Global
Oceans
Ocean
Basins
International
Waters
LMEs
EEZs
Territorial
Waters
Open Coasts
Inland Seas
Watersheds
Bays &
Estuaries
Private Local Regional State State Federal
Property Govt. Govt. Govt. Compact Govt.
RMO IMOs NGOs Academia
RSO ISOs
Governance Hierarchy & Advisory Services
Marine Ecosystem Geography
Global
Oceans
Ocean
Basins
International
Waters
LME Level Mgt.
LMEs
EEZs
Territorial
Waters
Open Coasts
Inland Seas
Watersheds
Bays &
Estuaries
Private Local Regional State State Federal
Property Govt. Govt. Govt. Compact Govt.
RMO IMOs NGOs Academia
RSO ISOs
Governance & Advisory Services
Coastal Large Marine
Ecosystems of the
United States
Harvesting Affects Distributions & Abundances of Species
Atlantic cod
2003
Groundfish
Trawl
Fishing
Effort
MPAs
In New
England
Vessel Hours
= 1-8
= 9-25
= 26-63
= 64-145
= 146-309
Conserve & Manage Ecosystem Parts
 Conserve and Manage Species
-
Target species, assemblages, non-target
species, PET* species, biodiversity protection
 Minimize Bycatch
-
Target, non-target & PET species, and minimize
waste
* PET = Protected, Endangered or Threatened Species
Alaskan Groundfish Stock Status 2002
F2001/FMSY
2.0
over
1.5 over
1/2
BMSY
EBS
P-Cod
1.0
GA Sable
GA Pol
no
0.5
over
GA
POP
overfishing
not overfished
GA P-Cod
AI POP
EBS Pol
A
Mack
0.0
0.0
0.5
1.0
FMSY
no overfishing
not overfished
GA Thorny
EBS YF Sole
EBS
EBS
EBS
R Sole
O Flats
Turbot
EBS F Sole
EBS Arrow
GA Arrow
1.5
2.0
B2001/BMSY
2.5
3.05.0
Stratified Mean Number per Tow
3
Non-Resource Species: Barndoor Skate
2
1
Goal
0
1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005
Year
Account for Ecosystem Processes
Evaluate & Inform Feedback Effects
- predator-prey relationships, gear impacts on habitat
productivity, irreversibility of fishing impacts, harvestinginduced regime change
Maintain Ecosystem Productivity, Balance
Ecosystem Structure
- evaluate ecosystem carrying capacity, maintain
resilience/resistance to perturbations, attain trophic
balance
 Account for Climate Variability
– low-frequency variation (decadal scale changes), highfrequency variation (year-to-year or more frequent),
climate-based regime change
The Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem – basis for FEP
Conserve & Manage Ecosystem Parts
 Conserve and Manage Species
- Target species, assemblages, non-target
species, PET* species, biodiversity protection
 Minimize Bycatch
- Target, non-target & PET species, and
minimize waste
* PET = Protected, Endangered or Threatened Species
Cold-water Coral Research and Protection
Habitat of Particular Concern
Key Science Needs Supporting EAM
 Operational Ocean Observation System integrating
biology, physical oceanography, chemistry, oceanatmosphere links and socio-economic data (at appropriate
geographic scales) ~ ½ built
 Systematic reporting on the status of marine and coastal
ecosystems through Integrated Ecosystem Assessments
(IEAs), including key indicators of pressures on
ecosystems and their state
 Ecosystem research plan that enables linking of human
activities to incremental change in ecosystem state
indicators
 Modeling, experimental ecology, and observation systems
linked to support adaptive approaches to human uses of
marine ecosystems consistent with goals of sustainable
use
Need to Link High-Level Principles to
Informative Performance Measures
-High-Level Principles
e.g., healthy and productive ecosystems…
-Operational Objectives
-Indicators
-Reference Points
-Performance Measures
Sainsbury & Sumaila 2003
In many cases indicators, reference points and performance measures are not
yet well specified for many ecosystem-level objectives, but likely will not
be used as traditional fish stock reference points (F and biomass)
Characteristics of Ecosystem Indicators –
(ICES WG on Ecosystem Effects of Fishing)
 Easy to Understand
 Responsive to Manageable Human Activities
 Responses Linked in Time to Management Action
 Easily and Accurately Measured
 Low Responsiveness to Other Factors
 Measurable Over Large Portion of Area
 Existing Data to Provide Historic Dynamics
 (DESIRABLE, not NECESSARY Conditions)
Indicators & Decision Criteria
• Most indicators are not yet usable as
reference points.
• Empirical use of state indicators (e.g.
biomass) as a function (or partial function) of
pressure indicators (e.g. fishing rate) can help
establish specified thresholds or Limit
Reference Points.
• Development of empirically based indicator
thresholds needs further development, but
can be used NOW to establish some
intermediate decision criteria.
Decision support tools for EAF
• Links governance to key issues, e.g. data,
indicators, models, socio-economic analyses, etc.
• Management Strategy Evaluation is one
example of a decision support tool that
could be used for EAF
• Tool to help a broad and diverse set of
stakeholders understand the likely consequences
of alternative management actions and the
tradeoffs across management objectives.
Decision Support Tools for EAF
• Decision support system would include
tools such as:
– Management information system (data
collection, management, and use)
– Indicators
– Bioeconomic, ecosystem, social choice,
stock assessment models
– Risk assessment
What is an “Integrated
Ecosystem Assessment”?
• Compile and archive all relevant data sets for a defined
ecosystem
• Report on current conditions and trends in relevant time
series of physical, biological and human use information
• Synthesize time series information to link important
ecological responses to changes in climate and human use
drivers,
• Evaluate data time series to provide suites of key indicators
of ecosystem state (status), and propose reference levels
for the desired state of marine ecosystems
• Forecast the relationship between state indicators and
pressure indicators (e.g., pollution, climate change, fishingrelated removals, coastal development, etc.)
• Provide periodic ecosystem assessment updates to inform
the managers, stakeholders and the public on the state of
marine ecosystems
Integrated Data Products for Alaskan Ecosystems
IOOS is not Just
about Sampling
Physical, Biological and Social Components
to produce Integrated Ecosystem Assessment
Account for Ecosystem Processes
 Evaluate & Inform Feedback Effects
- predator-prey relationships, gear impacts on habitat
productivity, irreversibility of fishing impacts, harvestinginduced regime change

Maintain Ecosystem Productivity, Balance Ecosystem
Structure
- evaluate ecosystem carrying capacity,
maintain resilience/resistance to perturbations, attain
trophic balance
 Account for Climate Variability
- low-frequency variation (decadal scale changes),
High-frequency variation (year-to-year or more
frequent), climate-based regime change
Gulf
of
Alaska
LME
North
Pacific
Canada
United States
US
EEZ
California
Current
LME
Mexico
PaCOOS Mission
 Provide ocean information
needed for management of:
- Fishery Resources
- Protected Marine Mammals
- Sea turtles
 Forecast the ecosystem
consequences of:
- Fishery Removals
- Environmental Variability
- Climate Change
 In the U.S. Exclusive
Economic Zone (EEZ) off
the West Coast.
Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) critical to EAM
Scalable Ecosystem
Observation & Research
• Combination of observations
at fixed locations (e.g., NMSs
NERRS sites, local interests)
and ecosystem-wide
observation
Overlay of
All
Observing?
• The whole must be more than
the Sum of the parts (avoid
discontinuities in sampling
density or type at political
boundaries)
• Priorities for observing are:
- Coordinating sampling,
- DMAC,
- Products
Geographic Information
Systems (GIS)
Data Inputs
Catch Data
Trip Species
Pounds
Analyses
Assessments
Effort displacement
Explore options
Sightings
ID
Species
Count
Species-level
Distributions
Bathymetry
Lat
Long
Depth
Evaluate Management Plans
Substrate
ID
Area
Type
Temperature
Lat Long Temp
Species richness
Date
Species AdultHab
JuvHab
LarvalHab
External Models
Matlab
Ecopath
etc.
PaCOOS Current Status









Web Site Established: www.pacoos.org
Science Plan Approved and Posted
Charter Approved and Posted
Interim Governing Board Established
Adding Partners
Represented on Regional Observing Assoc.’s
Regional Obs. Assoc.’s on PaCOOS Board
PICES Presentation
Instituto Nacional de Pesca Presentation
Climate & Ecosystems
•
•
•
•
•
•
Ocean acidification
Loss of sea ice
Distribution, abundance, recruitment
Sea level rise
Coral bleaching
Oscillating systems vs. trends
Changing climate:
Bering Sea ice extent
and duration has changed
and impacts summer
distribution of pollock
Percent ice coverage
8
Role of Correlation: PDO & Pollock
Recruitment
Regional Climatology Affects Ecosystems
-8-
Woods Hole Temperature - NAO
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
-0.5
-1
-1.5
-2
-2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
-0.5
-1
-1.5
-2
-2.5
-3
-3
1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998
Courtesy D. Mountain
Both series smoothed
Conclusions & Suggested Actions
 Need to invest local, national, and international management
venues with similar or complementary principles for
management.
 One strategy we can use is to develop a standard definition,
objectives and requirements into the reauthorization of
federal (and state) legislation: e.g.,
- Coral Reef Protection Act
- Marine Sanctuaries Act
- National Aquaculture legislation, others…
 Science venues such as IOOS: need to provide a coordinated
vision and investments for monitoring & research for
Ecosystem Goods and Services (e.g., PaCOOS, Regional
Associations…)
 Our community must do a better job of explaining what
ecosystems are and what specific outcomes will result from
EAM – a Communication strategy is essential
EAM: “Peeling the Onion”
• Characteristics:
- Activities/Behaviors
- Benefits
- Not Being / Good
- Being / Great
e.g., strives to balance diverse societal
objectives
• Examples and best practices