The Skimmer on Marine Ecosystems and Management
The Role of Science in EBM: Does Science Drive the Process, or Just Inform It?
Policies that mandate ecosystem-based management of the ocean have emphasized the need for good science. In the newly released "Final Recommendations of the Ocean Policy Task Force" on which the new US national ocean policy is based (described later in this issue), "science" is mentioned more than 65 times. The…
Tundi’s Take: Science in the Service of EBM
By Tundi Agardy, MEAM Contributing Editor (tundiagardy@earthlink.net) Implicit in the EBM construct is the central role of science. By building management from a foundation of solid science, we presume that ecosystems and the resources and services they provide can be protected or restored in predictable ways, following a set path…
New US Ocean Policy Calls for Marine Spatial Planning
In July, President Obama signed an executive order establishing a national ocean policy for the US – the country's first comprehensive, integrated policy for stewardship of its oceans and coasts. The policy launches a process of coastal and marine spatial planning for the nation, and coordinates the various ocean-related activities…
How Marine Spatial Planning Can Lower Costs for Management & Industry: Interview with Tim Norman of The Crown Estate
The Crown Estate is a commercial property organization that manages a diverse portfolio on behalf of the UK. The property ranges from offices and shops in the heart of London, to farmland and forests, to the UK’s foreshore and seabed. Because the role of The Crown Estate is to enhance…
Bookshelf: New Books on Ocean Zoning, Marine Spatial Planning
Ocean Zoning: Making Marine Management More Effective By Tundi Agardy. 2010, Earthscan. 208 pp. US $85 at www.earthscan.org Although marine spatial planning has gained favor among marine and coastal planners in recent years, the related practice of ocean zoning has sometimes been pushed to the side. Often viewed as potentially…
Notes & News: EBM lessons from Packard – EBM in tropical Western Pacific – Marine spatial planning – EBM in US – Climate adaptation – IMCC2 – Mangrove atlas – Patagonian Sea – North American marine ecosystems
The EBM Toolbox Our regular feature "The EBM Toolbox", produced by the EBM Tools Network, is on hiatus this issue. It will resume in our next issue (October-November 2010). In the meantime, you may learn about EBM tools and sign up for Network updates at www.ebmtools.org. Lessons from Packard Foundation's…
Offshore Energy: The Challenge of Planning and Managing It in an Ecosystem-Based Way
As our global society's need for energy continues to grow, the oceans are playing an increasing role in meeting that demand. The development of deeper and deeper petroleum reserves offshore is opening up significant new supplies of oil and gas. And projects to harness the potential of wind, wave, and…
Tundi’s Take: Light at the End of Deepwater Horizon’s Tunnel
By Tundi Agardy, Contributing Editor, MEAM (tundiagardy@earthlink.net) Much will be written about the dark side of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill: the many contributing causes and sources of failure, the curious absence of contingency planning, the wisdom (or not) of industry self-certification, the lack of transparency on the part of…
EBM Perspective: Marine Spatial Planning and Ocean Industries
By Paul Holthus, Executive Director, World Ocean Council The single most important factor determining the health of the ocean is the way business is done in the marine environment. As the tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico unfortunately demonstrates, the best-laid marine spatial plans or best-designed marine protected area can…
Letter to the Editor
A step toward EBM: Form a regular advisory group Dear MEAM, The lead article in your last issue (MEAM 3:5) asked for steps that resource managers can take for an immediate, noticeable difference in making management more ecosystem-based. Remember that a single manager is going to be incapable alone of…