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Ecosystem Based Management in the National Marine Sanctuary System

Ecosystem Based Management in the National Marine Sanctuary System. National Marine Sanctuaries Act. Little known fact:. The word “ecosystem” is used one time in the NMSA. Designation Standards:

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Ecosystem Based Management in the National Marine Sanctuary System

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  1. Ecosystem Based Managementin theNational Marine Sanctuary System

  2. National Marine Sanctuaries Act Little known fact: The word “ecosystem” is used one time in the NMSA Designation Standards: - the area’s natural resource and ecological qualities, including its contribution to biological productivity, maintenance of ecosystem structure, maintenance of ecologically or commercial important or threatened species or species assemblages, maintenance of critical habitat of endangered species, and biogeographic representation of the site…

  3. “The National Marine Sanctuary System will - • improve the conservation, understanding, management, and wise and sustainable use of marine resources; • enhance public awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the marine environment; • maintain for future generations, the habitat, and ecological services, of the natural assemblage of living resources that inhabit these areas.” • NMSA 2000

  4. Ecosystem-Level Responsibility “…coordinated and comprehensive approach to conservation and management of…” Natural resources Ecological qualities Biological productivity Ecosystem structure Ecologically important species Commercially important species Threatened species or assemblages Critical habitat of endangered species Natural habitats, populations, and ecological services

  5. EBM Characteristics • Adaptive (tailored, monitored, and modified, as necessary) • Collaborative (multiple stakeholders) • Incremental (evolves with improved understanding) • Geographically specified management areas (operates at sub-LME scales) • Takes account of ecosystem knowledge and uncertainty • Considers multiple external factors (ecological and anthropogenic) • Balancing diverse societalobjectives

  6. National Marine Sanctuary System - - PAPAHANAUMOKUAKEA MARINE NATIONAL MONUMENT “Responsible for More U.S. Territory than U.S. Park Service and FWS Refuges Combined.”

  7. Conservation Science Supports NMS Management Habitat alteration Emergency response Water quality Acoustics mitigation Boundary modification Cultural resources Fishing & harvesting Trawling impacts Marine reserve effectiveness Marine debris Threatened & endangered species Habitat restoration Vessel traffic Wildlife disturbance User conflicts Introduced species Coastal development Military activities Oil & gas development Personal watercraft Desalination Dredge disposal Submerged cables Alternative energy

  8. Conservation Science Ecosystem Characterization: • Mapping, classification • Physical processes • Biodiversity • Ecological linkages • Social/cultural/economic Monitoring: • Ecosystem integrity • Issue based PSR design • Water, habitat, living resources • Maritime archaeological resources Applied Research: • Process studies • Modeling, prediction

  9. Connectivity: Bugs Without Borders • SPLASH • PISCO/West Coast Obs • OCNMS • FKNMS • CEC Bioregional Status

  10. Help from History • Historical ecosystem context • HMAP SBNMS • HMAP FKNMS • Through the eyes of fishermen

  11. To Respond or Not: What’s Natural?

  12. Event Response: Coral Bleaching Management Issue: Predicting and documenting coral bleaching Information Needs: • Identifying areas of high bleaching risk • Measuring the extent of bleaching Data Needs: Near real-time • Temperature • Wind • Light Decision-Support Products: • Degree heating weeks • Hot spot maps Management Response/Actions: • Sampling strategy • Media communications

  13. Reserve Boundaries Management Issue: Optimize reserve boundaries to achieve protection or restoration objectives Information Needs: • Habitat & living resource distribution • Dispersal ranges & processes • Human activities Data Types and Sources: • Multi-beam (USGS, NOAA, academia) • Satellite data (NOAA/NESDIS) • Fish surveys (NMFS, trained volunteers) • Larval fish (NCCOS) • Benthic classification (USGS, academia) • ROV/video transects (sanctuaries, academia) • Aerial surveys (OMAO, states) Decision-Support Products: • GIS analysis (ecosystem & socio-economic) • Alternative analyses Management Response/Actions: • Establish reserve boundaries encompassing target species critical habitat

  14. Emergency Response: Oil Spills Management Issue: Deciding on dispersant use following an oil spill Information Needs: - Spill trajectory forecasts • Animal and plant distributions & risk • Dispersability (oil type & conditions) • Natural events (e.g. migrations, spawning) • Pre-event models of risk Data Needs: • Surface and subsurface currents, & waves • Satellites, buoys, ADCP, CODAR, archived data) • Weather (esp. surface winds speed/direction) • Baseline living resource distribution, abundance, condition, & sensitivity Decision-Support Products: • Trajectory maps and projections • Dispersion predictions (depth, []) • Bathymetry & habitat • Ecosystem sensitivity maps Management Response/Actions: • Dispersant use decision • Boom and skimmer deployment • Shoreline response team deployment

  15. Fish Refuge Management Issue: Deciding whether to allow spearfishing Information Needs: • Location and extent of essential habitat • Target species abundance & production (population resilience) • Target species ecological roles • Current and projected use Data Needs: • Habitat distribution and area • Spatial use and abundance by life stage • Trophic interactions and structure • Fecundity and survival • Currents, eddies Decision-Support Products: • Amount and location of essential habitat • Essential habitats by life history stage • Forecasts of impacts and recovery Management Response/Actions: • Public education during MPR • Regulatory decision

  16. Living Resource Protection: Ship Strikes Management Issue: Identify areas of high risk for vessel/whale collisions Information Needs: Temporal data on vessel traffic patterns and whale distributions Data Needs: • Whale-watch records • Acoustic tagging (location, behavior) • Prey dynamics (location, persistence) • Vessel traffic patterns (AIS data) Decision-Support Products: • Whale and traffic density maps • Traffic routing scenarios(changes in risk vs. travel time/economics) Management Response/Actions: • Establishing or modifying shipping lanes • Speed limits in selected areas • Broadcasting alerts to mariners to minimize collisions

  17. Ecosystem Based Management It’s not how you define it, but how you do it.

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