Marine Ecosystem-Based Management in Practice: Different Pathways, Common Lessons

The authors tell us that everyone from fishermen to treasure hunters to real estate developers rebelled when Florida introduced a Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in 1990. Fishermen in Port Orford, Oregon, similarly felt alienated by marine management in 2002. This despite the fact that fisheries of various types had crashed. Today the principle of managing marine areas as a whole ecosystem with sustainable fisheries is seen as sound, and many award winning projects involving communities and authorities are celebrating success stories. The authors have visited such areas to consult the managers and various users, and see what lessons can be passed on to others. Both authors work at the University of Michigan, where Julia Wondolleck is Associate Professor of Natural Resources, and Steven Yaffee is Professor of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy.Chapter 1: Drawing lessons from experience.Chapter 2: International boundaries in Gulf of Maine and Puget Sound BasinChapter 3: Multistate partnership in the Gulf of Mexico.Chapter 4: Top down authority and bottom up engagement in Florida Keys and the Channel Islands.Chapter 5: Voluntary programmes in Narangansset Bay and Albemarle- Pamlico EstuaryChapter 6: Management in Port Orford, Oregon and San Juane County.Chapter 7: Tangible elements to support and guideChapter 8: Intangible influencing factors.Chapter 9: Implications for policy and practice.While the book mainly deals with North America, fisheries and communities are facing conflicts over marine management around the world. An example near me is that trawlers from the continent of Europe fish extensively off Irish coasts, but due to the UK voting to leave the EU, Irish fishermen may no longer be able to fish in their British neighbour's waters. Sea fisheries everywhere are considered to be overfished. As an ecologist I was interested to read the stories in this book. An American will have the advantage of knowing most of the organisations, strings of initials and some of the personalities described. The term SAC is used to refer to Sanctuary Advisory Council, whereas in Ireland it means a Special Area of Conservation.We're told that management plans now include the elements: scale, complexity, balance, collaboration and adaptive management. Two dozen cases were studied in detail, many of which were still working on the best solutions. Trying to manage just one aspect like fishing permits was not enough, as making the location suitable for fish to reproduce was also a big factor, while more than one type of fish might be caught and the area might be used for various other purposes, like recreation, bird watching and industrial use. Reaching out to scientific studies drew on a wealth of experience and looking at other management plans demonstrated what could be achieved with good practice. The best successes were when the whole community could get behind the plans.Initiatives described range from international agreements, through top-down or inter-regional plans, to bottom up cases. Some are a matter of policy setting while others involve the hard work on the site. Specifics of individual cases include detailing the range of diverse flora, fauna and habitats, the stressors and introduced elements like invasive species. Arrange a study to see what you have got, in each of those areas.Next you need to find out who exactly is a stakeholder or has any jurisdiction over the area. The Gulf of Maine for example had American and Canadian trade bodies, local and national governments, tribal and First nations, shipping organisations, industries and fishermen, non-governmental organisations, besides householders.What problems are experienced? Water quality, air quality, oil spills, sewage, agri chemical runoff, fish stocks dropping, yacht racing, litter, persistent pollutants, too much shipping, too little tourism, building over habitat, disturbance to nesting birds, structures, more. A historical site preservation order or rare, protected species may be in place; subsistence fishing may occur. Various departments may lack good communication between them, or may say that they can't make progress until something is done, like oceanographic mapping, and there is no budget. Bilateral processes may not be efficient. The authors mention that some of the data shared may be helpful for climate change adaptation, while warming water temperatures are changing some of the habitats and fisheries.The Gulf of Mexico chapter details three separate issues; the growing dead zone of oxygen depleted water, the hurricanes and the Deepwater Horizon oil leaks. Lack of joined up management by various departments meant that these have had more serious effects and consequences than might otherwise have been the case. Even cost-saving could be achieved; two departments had been getting separate aerial photos. Funding was always a problem.Chapter on Florida credits media attention after three ship groundings, damaging coral reefs, on getting action started.At the end we are told that successes always were built on getting the right people involved, from management to grassroots, and having good facilitators. Not only were personal relationships within the community helpful for policy workers, they made friends among other departments and teams involved. This is a very valuable lesson. Earlier I noted that scientists invited to share data didn't realise how many similar studies were being undertaken. One fisheries ecosystem biologist noted that the IT group was dominating talks and suggested setting up an IT sub-group to let broader issues be discussed. Motivating volunteers is also stressed. Citizen science was used to collect information and build support; science is also an easier way to get started than setting abrupt policy.Scholarly language suitable for anyone in the field or in administration but accessible enough for ecology students. Terms like transboundary ecosystem indicators, priority issues and crossteam activities, state-level nutrient criteria, highly interconnected and interdependent habitats, exogenous change.Emphasis on government work groups, task forces, policy makers rather than individuals, scientists and journalists. Certain pages are replete with strings of initials, such as CCMP, NEP, APNEP, STAC, EPA, NBEP, on one page.Few illustrations and no photos in my ARC, and I did feel that some more charts, maps and photos would have been helpful, showed the human connections and stopped the book feeling dry.I felt that the book would not be good for getting concerned individuals involved at local level and this is why I am not awarding five stars.Notes 235 - 253 in my ARC. I counted 31 names that I could be sure were female. Many of the sources cited are official documents or work group proceedings; also scholarly articles or books.You may also enjoy:The Narrow Edge: A Tiny Bird, an Ancient Crab, and an Epic Journeyby Deborah CramerConnecting the Drops: A Citizens' Guide to Protecting Water Resourcesby Karen Schneller-McDonaldRetreat from a Rising Sea: Hard Choices in an Age of Climate Changeby Orrin H. Pilkey, Linda Pilkey-Jarvis, Keith C. PilkeyCommon Ground on Hostile Turf: Stories from an Environmental Mediatorby Lucy MoorePlanning for Coastal Resilience: Best Practices for Calamitous Timesby Timothy BeatleyGlaciers: The Politics of Iceby Jorge Daniel TaillantThis Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climateby Naomi KleinFuture Arctic: Field Notes from a World on the Edgeby Edward StruzikBrooklyn Bridge Park: A Dying Waterfront Transformedby Henrik Krogius, Joanne Witty.

In this engaging text, Wondolleck and Yaffee draw on information from case studies in which people who care deeply about diverse marine issues (declining fisheries, dying coral, polluted waters) have developed holistic approaches to address the interconnected web of factors causing damage to marine ecosystems. The concept of ecosystem-based management (EBM) may seem like common sense, however, developing and maintaining effective programs that link science with policy and bring together local communities, fishermen, environmental organizations, and government agencies spanning local, state, and federal jurisdictions is not easy. Data about ecosystems is just one element in this process; the other major elements concern the human beings who design and implement management programs and the social and institutional contexts within which those programs operate. This book explores the human, social, and institutional elements of effective marine EBM initiatives.One of the most significant contributions of the book is a section that describes key attributes that form the “bricks and mortar” of successful initiatives. Bricks are tangible features such as governance structure, decision processes, and program management that provide the structure within which activities take place. This section includes intriguing topics such as information about how initiatives generated relevant science and translated the science data for effective use with community members and policy makers. In addition to bricks, “intangible” factors such as individuals’ motivations, skills, and relationships acted as mortar to hold processes together. The authors argue that the initiatives they studied indicate that these intangible but vital attributes can be cultivated to better support the people who do the work of marine EBM.The case studies, with their accounts of challenges and successes, enliven the analysis and make it easier to absorb the ideas presented in the book. By the end, the reader has a great deal of respect for the people who persevered and, through trial and error, succeeded in creating these EBM initiatives. Hopefully, the knowledge they have shared will help others avoid some snags as they seek to develop similar management programs.

Wondolleck and Yaffee remind us that collaborative processes are still the most effective, meaningful, and sustainable means for integrating human and natural systems. No other decision making processes can make this claim and the authors have clearly and effectively described the principles and practices that have made it work in the context of marine ecosystem-based management. The authors’ carefully crafted case studies reveal compelling stories of the challenges and opportunities faced by protagonists as they navigate this important journey together. Cooperation, commitment, a shared sense of place, and a set of practical tools and concepts are their common currency.Todd Bryan, Ph.D., Strategic Partner at Resolve