2 research outputs found
Using ecosystem-services assessments to determine trade-offs in ecosystem-based management of marine mammals
The goal of ecosystem-based management (EBM) is to support a sustainable and holistic
multisectored management approach, and is recognized in a number of international policy
frameworks. However, it remains unknown how these goals should be linked to assessments and
management plans for marine fauna, such as mammals and fish stocks. It appears particularly
challenging to carry out trade-off analyses of various ocean uses without a framework that
integrates knowledge of environmental, social, and economic benefits derived from nonstationary
marine fauna. We argue this gap can be filled by applying a version of the ecosystem-service
approach at the population level of marine fauna. To advance this idea, we used marine mammals as
a case study to demonstrate what indicators could operationalize relevant assessments and deliver
an evidence base for the presence of ecosystem services and disservices derived from marine
mammals. We found indicators covering common ecosystem service categories feasible to apply;
examples of indicator data are already available in the literature for several populations. We
encourage further exploration of this approach for application to marina fauna and biodiversity
management, with the caveat that conceptual tensions related to the use of the ecosystem service
concept itself needs to be addressed to ensure acceptance by relevant stakeholders