What Is Ecosystem Management?

The evolving concept of ecosystem management is the focus of much current debate. To clarify discussion and provide a framework for implementation, I trace the historical development of ecosystem management, provide a working definition, and summarize dominant themes taken from an extensive literature review. The general goal of maintaining ecological integrity is discussed along with five specific goals: maintaining viable populations, ecosystem representation, maintaining ecological process (ie., natural disturbance regimes), protecting evolutionary potential of species and ecosystems, and accommodating human use in light of the above. Short-term policy implications of ecosystem management for several groups of key actors (scientists, policymakers, managers, citizens) are discussed. Long-term (> 100 years) policy implications are also reviewed including reframing environmental values, fostering cooperation, and evaluating success. Ecosystem management is not just about science nor is it simply an extension of traditional resource management; it offers a fundamental reframing of bow humans may work with nature.     

Achieving Integrative, Collaborative Ecosystem Management

Abstract:  Although numerous principles have been identified as being important for successfully integrating social and ecological factors in collaborative management, few authors have illustrated how these principles are used and why they are effective. On the basis of a review of the ecosystem management and collaboration literature, we identified eight factors important for integrative, collaborative ecosystem management—integrated and balanced goals, inclusive public involvement, stakeholder influence, consensus group approach, collaborative stewardship, monitoring and adaptive management, multidisciplinary data, and economic incentives.We examined four cases of successful ecosystem management to illustrate how the factors were incorporated and discuss the role they played in each case's success. The cases illustrate that balancing social and ecosystem sustainability goals is possible. Collaborative efforts resulted in part from factors aimed at making plans economically feasible and from meaningful stakeholder participation in ongoing management. It also required participation in monitoring programs to ensure stakeholder interests were protected and management efforts were focused on agreed-upon goals. Data collection efforts were not all-inclusive and systematic; rather, they addressed the ecological, economic, and social aspects of key issues as they emerged over time. Economic considerations appear to be broader than simply providing economic incentives; stakeholders seem willing to trade some economic value for recreational or environmental benefits. The cases demonstrate that it is not idealistic to believe integrative, collaborative ecosystem management is possible in field applications.     

生态系统数据管理中的数据文档文件

生态系统的数据结构不同于商用数据结构。本文参考美国ＬＴＥＲＮ的Ｓｅｖｉｌｌｅｔａ站生态系统的数据管理模式，结合中国科学院封丘农业生态实验站的实际情况，着重介绍了生态系统的数据文档文件的特点、结构和应用，而这些都是研究生态系统数据管理的最基础工作。     

A Practice-based Approach to Ecosystem Management

Ecosystem management is a rapidly evolving philosophy or paradigm of natural resource management intended to sustain the integrity of ecosystems. The problem is that principles of ecosystem management are unsatisfactory for practical purposes. Three major approaches to the problem are evaluated: (1) clarification of the goals of ecosystem management, (2) construction of a better scientific foundation for management decisions, and (3) comparative appraisal of current practices. The evaluation concludes that neither of the first two approaches is necessary or sufficient for better management decisions because better decisions depend upon the complexities of particular contexts. The third, practice-based approach makes the most of the limited human capacity to cope with the complexities of ecosystem management in order to improve principles of ecosystem management, to inform particular management decisions through improved principles, and to incorporate clearer goals and a better scientific foundation as they become available. The evaluation draws on experience and disciplines beyond conservation biology and natural resource management, including policy sciences.     

Ecosystem Management and the Arrogance of Humanism

The ecosystem management paradigm has gained wide acceptance among land resource managers. The definition of ecosystem management remains fuzzy, however, and two fundamentally different views of ecosystem management prevail The first view is biocentric and considers human use of resources to be constrained by the primary goal of maintaining ecological integrity. The second view is anthropocentric and retains the importance of human use of resources, but it includes ecological and social considerations. In the 1981 book The Arrogance of Humanism , David Ehrenfeld examines the central tenets and assumptions of humanism. He provides several examples of human activities in which humanist assumptions are manifest and applies end-product analysis to these to demonstrate the arrogance and failure of humanist assumptions. In this essay, the anthropocentric view of ecosystem management (hereafter just ecosystem management) is discussed in the context of The Arrogance of Humanism , and it is shown that ecosystem management is ultimately humanistic. The underlying assumptions of ecosystem management are also discussed and are examined using end-product analysis. This analysis suggests that the belief in our ability to meet the assumptions of ecosystem management is unwarranted and that ecosystem management is yet another example of the arrogance of humanism. Solution of our land- and resource-management problems must begin with rejection of humanism's doctrine of final causes.     

Reflections on "What is Ecosystem Management?"

I review 10 dominant themes of ecosystem management described in the paper "What is Ecosystem Management?" (Grumbine 1994a) based on feedback received from managers actively implementing ecosystem management projects in the field. My emphasis is on practical advice from working professionals for working professionals. Key points include the importance of managing for ecological integrity, the need for social as well as scientific data, suggestions for implementing cooperation strategies and conservation partnerships, a pragmatic definition of adaptive management, and first steps toward changing the structure of natural resource organizations. As ecosystem management evolves, the pressure for change within traditional resource management agencies appears to be reaching a critical point.     

高尔夫球场建设对生态系统影响分析及环境管理对策

通过对高尔夫球场建设过程、特点及主要生态环境影响因子分析,指出高尔夫球场建设需占用大量土地,尤其是农业生态区域,对地表形态、农业生产、水土流失、水环境等均有不同程度的不利影响,对落后地区社会经济具有带动作用。在以安徽元一高尔夫球场为例进行分析基础上,提出了高尔夫球场建设与运营管理的生态环境管理对策。     

三峡库区生态系统服务功能重要性评价及其空间分布研究

以长江上游重点生态脆弱区三峡库区(重庆段)为研究区,结合RS和GIS软件,选取生物多样性维护功能、水源涵养功能和水土保持功能为评价指标,采用植被净初级生产力(vegetation net primary productivity,NPP)定量指标评估法,综合分析研究区2020年生态系统服务功能的重要性程度以及空间分异特...     

Obstacles to Bottom‐Up Implementation of Marine Ecosystem Management

Abstract: Ecosystem management (EM) offers a means to address multiple threats to marine resources. Despite recognition of the importance of stakeholder involvement, most efforts to implement EM in marine systems are the product of top‐down regulatory control. We describe a rare, stakeholder‐driven attempt to implement EM from the bottom up in San Juan County, Washington (U.S.A.). A citizens advisory group led a 2‐year, highly participatory effort to develop an ecosystem‐based management plan, guided by a preexisting conservation‐planning framework. A key innovation was to incorporate social dimensions by designating both sociocultural and biodiversity targets in the planning process. Multiple obstacles hindered implementation of EM in this setting. Despite using a surrogate scheme, the information‐related transaction costs of planning were substantial: information deficits prevented assessment of some biodiversity targets and insufficient resources combined with information deficits prevented scientific assessment of the sociocultural targets. Substantial uncertainty, practical constraints to stakeholder involvement, and the existence of multiple, potentially conflicting, objectives increased negotiation‐related costs. Although information deficits and uncertainty, coupled with underinvestment in the transaction costs of planning, could reduce the long‐term effectiveness of the plan itself, the social capital and momentum developed through the planning process could yield unforeseeable future gains in protection of marine resources. The obstacles we identified here will require early and sustained attention in efforts to implement ecosystem management in other grassroots settings.     

Ecosystem Services as a Common Language for Coastal Ecosystem-Based Management

Abstract:  Ecosystem-based management is logistically and politically challenging because ecosystems are inherently complex and management decisions affect a multitude of groups. Coastal ecosystems, which lie at the interface between marine and terrestrial ecosystems and provide an array of ecosystem services to different groups, aptly illustrate these challenges. Successful ecosystem-based management of coastal ecosystems requires incorporating scientific information and the knowledge and views of interested parties into the decision-making process. Estimating the provision of ecosystem services under alternative management schemes offers a systematic way to incorporate biogeophysical and socioeconomic information and the views of individuals and groups in the policy and management process. Employing ecosystem services as a common language to improve the process of ecosystem-based management presents both benefits and difficulties. Benefits include a transparent method for assessing trade-offs associated with management alternatives, a common set of facts and common currency on which to base negotiations, and improved communication among groups with competing interests or differing worldviews. Yet challenges to this approach remain, including predicting how human interventions will affect ecosystems, how such changes will affect the provision of ecosystem services, and how changes in service provision will affect the welfare of different groups in society. In a case study from Puget Sound, Washington, we illustrate the potential of applying ecosystem services as a common language for ecosystem-based management.