The world is a complex place. It only makes sense to build policy and management guidelines with that in mind. Ecosystem Based Management (EBM) is a management tool that has received a lot of attention recently. It is an approach to management that integrates seemingly different disciplines in one streamlined strategy. The overall goal is to support the health, recovery and diversity of natural ecosystems while also taking into account the sustainable use by humans of the system. In most cases, it uses a science-based approach to manage natural resources on a smaller, place-based scale.

Background:

To make things confusing, there are two terms that people use whose meanings are not entirely the same; Ecosystem Management (EM) and Ecosystem Based Management (EBM). EM is the recognition that plant, animal, and human communities are interdependent and react with the chemical and physical process and flows within an ecosystem. (For the purpose of this introduction, a geographic area where these biological communities and abiotic factors interact is defined as an ecosystem.) From this recognition stems a need to study not only the organisms, but also the energy, water, and nutrient flows to gather a full picture of the interactions and influences that define the ecosystem. To manage on an ecosystem level is to look at every part of this big picture to determine the health and sustain or recover a balance for the system.

Once a picture of the biological and abiotic processes begins to emerge, EBM begins. It takes into account the human use element. Commercial and recreational uses of the ecosystem are factored in. A management scheme is produced that also strives to sustain a socioeconomic balance for the human communities that use the ecosystem.

Due to the dynamic and ever-changing conditions of ocean and coastal ecosystems, one of EBM's goals is to create a "safe-to-fail" rather than a "fail-safe" management scheme. Most proponents of this approach agree that it is impossible to understand every interaction within an ecosystem and therefore cannot predict the consequences of a management plan. By creating an adaptive management scheme that is precautionary in nature, the evolving nature of the ecosystem can be assessed and compensated for in order to maintain balance.

Fisheries Management: Taking EBM to the next level

Traditionally, management schemes have been relatively fractured, focusing on particular uses rather than integrated approaches. In ocean ecosystems, managing single species of fish is an example of this practice. Using Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) takes into account the impact of fishing on the ecosystem, and the effect of the ecosystem on the fish. By looking at the impacts of fishing on any bycatch, protected species, and habitat, a long-term sustainability model can be created to maintain a balance between ecosystem health and human use.

One thing to remember is that because of the dynamic nature of ecosystems, especially marine ecosystems, there is not one single balance of biological and abiotic factors that indicates health. Several different states are possible in ecosystems that can be regarded as "healthy" and "balanced". By this rational, and ecosystem itself cannot be managed, whereas the organisms in them can be managed within the current state of the ecosystem.

A group of scientists and policy experts prepared a consensus statement on marine EBM to provide information to US policy-makers about coasts and oceans. It was released on March 21, 2005, and contains many of the tenants considered to be at the core of EBFM. Rather than rehash the document, please view this document by clicking this link.

Another great fact sheet was produced by Dr. Robert Pomeroy of the Connecticut Sea Grant Extension of the Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics at the University of Connecticut, and can be found by following this link.

The following is adapted from Lubchenco 1994. It describes the shift from the fractured management schemes of the past to the EBFM models:

POORT's Perspective

Our goal is to expand the limited view of fisheries management to look not only at the entire local ocean environment, but also to the surrounding watersheds that drain into our nearshore ecosystem. With this in mind, we have identified a Community Stewardship Area that incorportates the traditional fishing grounds of the Port Orford fleet. We have developed a science and access plan that mirrors EBM principles and goals. This document outlines the science needed to create a Community-Based Fisheries Management (CBFM) framework and that ensures sustainability and access to ocean resources.

Resources

An internet search for Ecosystem Based Management or Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management will bring many articles, websites, and definitions. The following are some links to information that was read to compile this description, and is a good place to start if you would like to learn more about EBM and EBFM.

EBM:

• United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities
• Encylopedia of Earth article on EBM

EBFM:

• Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA)
• Scientific Consensus Statement on Marine Ecosystem Based Management
• Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management by Dr. Robert Pomeroy
• An ecosystem approach to global assessment and management of coastal waters by K.Sherman and A.M.Duda
• EBFM -- What's it all about anyway?
• What Does Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management Mean? By Jason S. Link

In addition to the previous sources, the following documents were reviewed:

• Lubchenco J (1994) The scientific basis of ecosystem management: framing the context, language, and goals. In: Zinn J, Corn ML (eds) ecosystem management: Status and potential. 103rd Congress, 2nd Session, Committee Print. US Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents,Washington, DC, p 33-39