In an era of diverse and potentially conflicting uses of ocean resources, successful implementation of EBM requires a means to assess ecosystem status and evaluate tradeoffs inherent in the management of ecosystems. Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) is a process for achieving these two goals. IEAs synthesize information about the biophysical and human dimensions of an ecosystem and evaluate the impacts of multiple ecosystem threats on the ability to achieve desired ecosystem states. They assess risk, evaluate tradeoffs between management options, and assess how management decisions are working. This presentation will cover the IEA approach with an emphasis on the development and implementation of an IEA for the California Current. Learn more about the IEA approach at www.noaa.gov/iea.
