Building ecological-economic models and scenarios of marine resource systems : workshop report

As part of the ecosystem approach to managing fisheries and other uses of marine ecosystems, there has been a growing call for the development of integrated assessment tools to support the provision of both tactical and strategic management advice. Of particular importance in this domain is the development of models that capture the dynamic interactions between social and economic systems, and marine ecosystems. In February 2013, a workshop jointly organised by the ICES working group on Integrative, Physical biological and Ecosystem Modelling and researchers attending the "Mathematics of Bio-economics" initiative, a contribution to the international event "Mathematics of Planet Earth 2013", brought together experts to discuss recent advances and key methodological challenges posed by this field of research. The manuscript provides a brief report of the key points discussed during the workshop, including identification of the research which may help progress both the development of these modelling approaches and their application to actual management decision problems

Utiliser les services écosystémiques pour explorer le traitement des conflits dans les zones côtières

International audienceIntegrated coastal zone management is an emerging governance practice which aims at combining environmental preservation, economic development and social concerns in the context of complex ecosystem dynamics and increasing anthropogenic pressures. Coastal managers need socio-environmental integrated models in order to investigate the consequences of policy options which apply to different sectors simultaneously and pursue multiple objectives. The ecosystem services concept is equivalent for natural and social sciences; it offers a framework for a better understanding of users' conflicts regarding natural resources and the environment. This paper presents a model-based assessment of the ecosystem services supplied by freshwater in the coastal zone, under various local management options. The model is built through a participatory experiment which has been carried out in a coastal area of the Atlantic side of France, called Pertuis Charentais, according to the methodology developed by the European project SPICOSA (Science and Policy Integration for Coastal System Assessment). The modelled socio-ecosystem is centred on the Charente river catchment. The stakeholders chose the allocation of freshwater as the core issue for integrated coastal zone management. They considered that freshwater provides mainly support services for natural habitats and shellfish farming and provisioning services for households and agriculture. The model is intended to produce a wide range of indicators for the integrated assessment of these ecosystem services. The model is used to support the deliberative process engaged with local managers in order to explore new rules for water allocation, their consequences on ecosystem services and their meanings in terms of conflict mitigation. For that purpose, the model will also allow for an economic assessment based on two methods (productivity losses and remediation costs)