The Skimmer on Marine Ecosystems and Management
What Role Does Ocean Zoning Play in Marine Spatial Planning?: Viewpoints from the EU, US, and China
In the view of many ocean stakeholders, the terms "ocean zoning" and "marine spatial planning" are often taken to mean the same thing: that is, lines on a map showing where some ocean uses are allowed and others are not. However, there are in fact distinctions between the concepts. The…
Tundi’s Take: In Zoning, Beware of Shortcuts Leading to Dead Ends
By Tundi Agardy, MEAM Contributing Editor. E-mail: tundiagardy@earthlink.net The most natural, organic way of allocating space and resources in the ocean is to start with zoning based on existing patterns of use. Be warned, however: this "easy" solution can be dangerous. We run great risk by codifying patterns of use…
EBM Perspective: Implementing Integrated EBM at the Interface with Indigenous Knowledge
Editor’s note: Leane Makey is project coordinator of the Integrated Kaipara Harbour Management Group. By Leane Makey The indigenous Maori people of the Kaipara region in New Zealand’s Northland are spiritually and physically intertwined with their most sacred treasure – the Kaipara Harbour. To address ongoing environmental degradation to the…
EBM and Traditional Resource Management in Coastal Canada
On the Pacific coast of Canada, several First Nations (indigenous societies) have blended their traditional resource management with EBM as part of the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area initiative. The initiative’s aim is to ensure a healthy, safe, and prosperous ocean area by engaging all interested parties – including…
Flooding in NE Australia: How Ongoing Monitoring of Flood Plumes Helps in Managing the Great Barrier Reef
In January, massive flooding in the Australian state of Queensland killed at least 35 people and sent plumes of muddy, polluted water downstream and into the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The marine park’s water quality management program (www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/key_issues/water_quality) monitors a wide array of nutrients and pollutants that flow from…
Notes & News: EBM in practice – Economic incentives for conservation – Marine and coastal adaptation – Arctic sustainability – MPAs in fisheries management
Webinar on EBM in practice: recording available An audio recording of the 13 January 2011 webinar on EBM in practice along the US west coast, co-presented by MEAM and the EBM Tools Network, is available at www.ebmtools.org/about_ebm/meam.html. The webinar featured the work of the West Coast EBM Network, a partnership…
EBM Toolbox: Is There an App for EBM?
Editor’s note: The goal of The EBM Toolbox is to promote awareness of tools for facilitating EBM processes. It is brought to you by the EBM Tools Network, a voluntary alliance of tool users, developers, and training providers. By Sarah Carr Over the past decade, there has been an explosion…
Adaptive Management: What Does It Look Like in Practice?
Marine ecosystems are complex. Despite advances in our understanding over the past century, much remains a mystery about the linkages among species, habitats, and oceanographic factors. Thus, in managing the ocean, uncertainty is unavoidable. Policy makers and managers must make decisions despite incomplete data, imperfect models, and scientific disagreement. To…
MEAM Debate on Mixing Science with Advocacy: What Are the Risks and Responsibilities When Scientists Advocate for Particular Resource Management Policies?
Recent issues of MEAM covered the central role of science in EBM, including whether science should drive the process or just inform it (MEAM 4:1, 4:2). What was not addressed is what should drive or inform the science. Everyone, including scientists, holds particular biases: pro-conservation, pro-industry, etc. And these biases,…
Tundi’s Take: Science and Scarcity: Is Monitoring the First to Go When Economic Times Get Tough?
By Tundi Agardy, MEAM Contributing Editor (tundiagardy@earthlink.net) Debates about the role of science in policy can be polarizing. But one thing on which most everyone agrees is that management, once instituted, needs to be monitored to determine its effectiveness in meeting goals. Here the role of science is clear and…