Science Framework for Ecosystem-Based Management Objective: Define general strategy for an ecosystem approach to management focusing on diverse ecosystem services, societal preferences, and associated tradeoffs Illustrate with real world example(s)
The Problem Societal preferences imperfectly known -- Specify Utility Functions Ecosystem processes incompletely known Data/Model limitations for some or all components -- Adopt risk assessment framework -- Adopt broad definition of model
Approach Identify Key Ecosystem Services Define Objectives for Management unit Specify Relationships among Services, State Variables, Drivers, and Control Variables -- Dynamical Models -- Static Models -- Empirical Predictors -- Indicators Evaluate Policy Options Models Broadly Defined
Define Objectives for Management Subject to: where the wi are (imperfectly known) weighting coefficients, the Vi are the values associated with different ecosystem services (a function of a valuation coefficient vi and a set of state variables Xi, driver variables Yj and control variables Ck
Ecosystem Services Locally Caught Seafood (commercial) Sport Fishing We’ve targeted: Ecosystem Services Locally Caught Seafood (commercial) Sport Fishing Ecotourism Diving Shoreline Protection / Water Quality
Drivers Shoreline Development Demand for Local Seafood Tourist Demand Diver Demand Recreational Demand Other (Exogenous) Drivers [e.g. Climate Forcing (ENSO)]
Shoreline Development Diving Ecotourism Abalone Harvest Rockfish Harvest Shoreline Protection Otters Abalone Biomass Urchin Biomass Rockfish Biomass Kelp Shoreline Development
Driver Pressure State Impact Response Kelp Forest Example Shoreline Development Increased Turbidity Canopy Cover Tourism/Diving Species Abundance SL Protection Change Land use Ecosystem Indicators Ecological Models Forecasts & Risk Assessments Management Evaluation
Real World Example? Develop Ecosystem-Based Management Plan for Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Identify choice that is societally relevant with sufficient understanding/data to allow reasonable evaluation of policy alternatives
Data Availability and Quality High for MBNMS MBARI
Conclusion Sufficient data/understanding available for MBNMS to warrant consideration for test case