Ecosystem-Based Management, Ecosystem Services and Aquatic Biodiversity

Aquatic ecosystems are rich in biodiversity and home to a diverse array of species and habitats, providing a wide variety of benefits to human beings. Many of these valuable ecosystems are at risk of being irreversibly damaged by human activities and pressures, including pollution, contamination, invasive species, overfishing and climate change. Such pressures threaten the sustainability of these ecosystems, their provision of ecosystem services and ultimately human well-being. Ecosystem-based management (EBM) is now widely considered the most promising paradigm for balancing sustainable development and biodiversity protection, and various international strategies and conventions have championed the EBM cause and the inclusion of ecosystem services in decision-making. This open access book introduces the essential concepts and principles required to implement ecosystem-based management, detailing tools and techniques, and describing the application of these concepts and tools to a broad range of aquatic ecosystems, from the shores of Lough Erne in Northern Ireland to the estuaries of the US Pacific Northwest and the tropical Mekong Delta

Ecosystem-Based Management, Ecosystem Services and Aquatic Biodiversity: Theory, Tools and Applications

The complexity of interactions and feedbacks between human activities and ecosystems can make the analysis of such social-ecological systems intractable. In order to provide a common means to understand and analyse the links between social and ecological process within these systems, a range of analytical frameworks have been developed and adopted. Following decades of practical experience in implementation, the Driver Pressure State Impact Response (DPSIR) conceptual framework has been adapted and re-developed to become the D(A)PSI(W)R(M). This paper describes in detail the D(A)PSI(W)R(M) and its development from the original DPSIR conceptual frame. Despite its diverse application and demonstrated utility, a number of inherent shortcomings are identified. In particular the DPSIR model family tend to be best suited to individual environmental pressures and human activities and their resulting environmental problems, having a limited focus on the supply and demand of benefits from nature. We present a derived framework, the “Butterfly”, a more holistic approach designed to expand the concept. The “Butterfly” model, moves away from the centralised accounting framework approach while more-fully incorporating the complexity of social and ecological systems, and the supply and demand of ecosystem services, which are central to human-environment interactions

Ecosystem-Based Management, Ecosystem Services and Aquatic Biodiversity: Theory, Tools and Applications

The complexity of interactions and feedbacks between human activities and ecosystems can make the analysis of such social-ecological systems intractable. In order to provide a common means to understand and analyse the links between social and ecological process within these systems, a range of analytical frameworks have been developed and adopted. Following decades of practical experience in implementation, the Driver Pressure State Impact Response (DPSIR) conceptual framework has been adapted and re-developed to become the D(A)PSI(W)R(M). This paper describes in detail the D(A)PSI(W)R(M) and its development from the original DPSIR conceptual frame. Despite its diverse application and demonstrated utility, a number of inherent shortcomings are identified. In particular the DPSIR model family tend to be best suited to individual environmental pressures and human activities and their resulting environmental problems, having a limited focus on the supply and demand of benefits from nature. We present a derived framework, the “Butterfly”, a more holistic approach designed to expand the concept. The “Butterfly” model, moves away from the centralised accounting framework approach while more-fully incorporating the complexity of social and ecological systems, and the supply and demand of ecosystem services, which are central to human-environment interactions

From DPSIR the DAPSI(W)R(M) Emerges… a Butterfly – ‘protecting the natural stuff and delivering the human stuff’

The complexity of interactions and feedbacks between human activities and ecosystems can make the analysis of such social-ecological systems intractable. In order to provide a common means to understand and analyse the links between social and ecological process within these systems, a range of analytical frameworks have been developed and adopted. Following decades of practical experience in implementation, the Driver Pressure State Impact Response (DPSIR) conceptual framework has been adapted and re-developed to become the D(A)PSI(W)R(M). This paper describes in detail the D(A)PSI(W)R(M) and its development from the original DPSIR conceptual frame. Despite its diverse application and demonstrated utility, a number of inherent shortcomings are identified. In particular the DPSIR model family tend to be best suited to individual environmental pressures and human activities and their resulting environmental problems, having a limited focus on the supply and demand of benefits from nature. We present a derived framework, the “Butterfly”, a more holistic approach designed to expand the concept. The “Butterfly” model, moves away from the centralised accounting framework approach while more-fully incorporating the complexity of social and ecological systems, and the supply and demand of ecosystem services, which are central to human-environment interactions

Identification of Outer Continental Shelf Renewable Energy Space-Use Conflicts and Analysis of Potential Mitigation Measures

The ocean accommodates a wide variety of uses that are separated by time of day, season, location, and zones. Conflict can and does occur, however, when two or more groups wish to use the same space at the same time in an exclusive manner. The potential for conflict is well known and the management of ocean space and resources has been, and is being, addressed by a number of State, regional, and Federal organizations, including, among others, coastal zone management agencies, state task forces, and regional fisheries management councils. However, with new and emerging uses of the ocean, such as aquaculture and offshore renewable energy, comes the potential for new types of space-use conflicts in ocean waters. In recent years, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) (formerly the Minerals Management Service [MMS]) has examined ocean space-use conflicts and mitigation strategies in the context of offshore oil and gas exploration and production and sand and gravel dredging, activities that are both subject to BOEM regulation and oversight. BOEM now has authority to issue leases on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) for renewable energy projects, but seeks additional information on potential conflicts between existing uses of the ocean environment and this new form of activity. The broad purpose of this study was to begin to fill this gap by (1) identifying potential spaceuse conflicts between OCS renewable energy development and other uses of the ocean environment, and (2) recommending measures that BOEM can implement in order to promote avoidance or mitigation of such conflicts, thereby facilitating responsible and efficient development of OCS renewable energy resources. The result is a document intended to serve as a desktop resource that BOEM can use to inform its decision making as the agency carries out its statutory and regulatory responsibilities

Hard Habits to Break: Investigating Coastal Resource Utilisations and Management Systems in Sulawesi, Indonesia.

This research investigates the paradox that many coastal communities in developing countries are resource rich but income poor. Another aspect of this paradox is the belief that local communities possess traditional knowledge that respects nature. This belief contrasts the fact that major tropical coastal ecosystems, namely coral reefs and mangroves, are being destroyed at rapid and increasing rates, in many cases by the people whose livelihoods depend on them. These paradoxical circumstances lead to a central question: if the sustainability of coastal resources is vital for the livelihood of local communities, why are these resources being degraded, often to the point of complete destruction? This study explores the motives and consequences of destructive methods of coastal resource utilisation and examines the potential for sustainable livelihoods based on coastal resources currently under threat from destructive use patterns. The analysis is based on a field study conducted in 2006 and 2008 in eleven sites around the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. This area is characterised by great biodiversity, including one of the highest marine biodiversities in the Asia-Pacific region. Coral and mangrove ecosystem resource use was found to be driven by different processes and activities; hence the destructive practices impacting both ecosystems were also different. Blast and poison fishing were the most widespread destructive resource use methods found for coral reefs whereas large-scale habitat conversion was responsible for mangrove ecosystem reduction. In the field both resources were found to be under enormous anthropogenic pressures, with published data suggesting that only 5.8% of Indonesian coral reefs are currently in excellent condition and only 38% of mangrove cover remaining in Sulawesi relative to that of 25 years ago. The dynamics of these coastal resources, and of their destruction, are classic examples of the ’tragedy of the commons’. Research findings further indicate that formal institutions tasked with managing these resources have not been able to promote their effective conservation. An array of competing demands and conflicting interests, coupled with inefficient institutional arrangements and under-investment, have rendered inadequate many resource management efforts, including the externally-imposed concepts, allowing destructive patterns of resource utilization to persist. Local communities are disempowered when confronted with (1) the intricate network of destructive-fishing actors targeting coral reefs, or (2) large company-government bureaucracy collusions allowing mangrove conversion. The existence of this collusive network must be considered in any effort to address problems of effective management. Empirical insights suggest that conservation at local level has to face the challenges of market-driven resource extraction at a global scale. Only when a coastal community manages to overcome the dilemma in managing common-pool resource, conservation measures can be implemented and a degree of sustainability attained. Findings from this research have important implications for the discourses on coastal resource policy and research. This research advances the discussions to the area where the core of conflict of interests among stakeholders took place, and yet has rarely been addressed previously. The synthesis from this study provides a strong basis to understand the nature of asymmetric relations amongst the resource stakeholders, and therefore will help in generating effective policies for a fairer coastal resource management regime

Identification of Outer Continental Shelf Renewable Energy Space-Use Conflicts and Analysis of Potential Mitigation Measures

Outer Continental Shelf Study BOEM 2012-083. The ocean accommodates a wide variety of uses that are separated by time of day, season, location, and zones. Conflict can and does occur, however, when two or more groups wish to use the same space at the same time in an exclusive manner. The potential for conflict is well known and the management of ocean space and resources has been, and is being, addressed by a number of State, regional, and Federal organizations, including, among others, coastal zone management agencies, state task forces, and regional fisheries management councils. However, with new and emerging uses of the ocean, such as aquaculture and offshore renewable energy, comes the potential for new types of space-use conflicts in ocean waters. In recent years, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) (formerly the Minerals Management Service [MMS]) has examined ocean space-use conflicts and mitigation strategies in the context of offshore oil and gas exploration and production and sand and gravel dredging, activities that are both subject to BOEM regulation and oversight. BOEM now has authority to issue leases on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) for renewable energy projects, but seeks additional information on potential conflicts between existing uses of the ocean environment and this new form of activity. The broad purpose of this study was to begin to fill this gap by (1) identifying potential spaceuse conflicts between OCS renewable energy development and other uses of the ocean environment, and (2) recommending measures that BOEM can implement in order to promote avoidance or mitigation of such conflicts, thereby facilitating responsible and efficient development of OCS renewable energy resources. The result is a document intended to serve as a desktop resource that BOEM can use to inform its decision making as the agency carries out its statutory and regulatory responsibilities.Keywords: GIS, marine spatial planning, marine resource management, spatial use patterns, ethnography, marine renewable energy, ocean space use conflic

YOUMARES 9 - The Oceans: Our Research, Our Future

This open access book summarizes peer-reviewed articles and the abstracts of oral and poster presentations given during the YOUMARES 9 conference which took place in Oldenburg, Germany, in September 2018. The aims of this book are to summarize state-of-the-art knowledge in marine sciences and to inspire scientists of all career stages in the development of further research. These conferences are organized by and for young marine researchers. Qualified early-career researchers, who moderated topical sessions during the conference, contributed literature reviews on specific topics within their research field