Ecosystem Management Adaptive Management Geog/ENVS 657 What is an Ecosystem? a system that has a source of energy includes living and nonliving components. living components: plants and animals, human beings. nonliving components: soil, rocks, water, air, and other physical features Considerations Scale Connection Change (over time and over space) Diversity Balance. For the expressed use of students enrolled in GEOG/ENVS 657 at 1
Scale (Spatial and Temporal) Organisms Populations Communities Ecosystems Biosphere Biosphere Ecosystems Communities Populations Organisms Cycles and change Water Cycle Carbon Cycle Nitrogen Cycle Phosphorus Cycle Biosphere CarbonPhosphorusNitrogen cycle cycle cycle Water cycle Oxygen cycle Heat in the environment Heat Heat Heat Hydrologic (Water) Cycle Condensation Rain clouds Precipitation to ocean Precipitation Evaporation Transpiration from plants Transpiration Precipitation Evaporation From ocean Surface runoff (rapid) Surface runoff (rapid) Runoff Infiltration and Percolation Groundwater movement (slow) Ocean storage Groundwater movement (slow) For the expressed use of students enrolled in GEOG/ENVS 657 at 2
The Carbon Cycle sedimentation Nitrogen cycle The Phosphorus Cycle excretion GUANO mining FERTILIZER agriculture uptake by autotrophs weathering uptake by autotrophs MARINE FOOD WEBS DISSOLVED IN OCEAN WATER weathering DISSOLVED IN SOILWATER, LAKES, RIVERS LAND FOOD WEBS death, decomposition settling sedimentation out MARINE SEDIMENTS uplifting over geolgic time death, decomposition leaching, runoff ROCKS For the expressed use of students enrolled in GEOG/ENVS 657 at 3
The Biotic Components of Ecosystems Heat Abiotic chemicals (carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen, minerals) Heat Solar energy Heat Decomposers (bacteria, fungus) Producers (plants) Heat Consumers (herbivores, carnivores) Heat Connections Humans Blue whale Crabeater seal Killer whale Elephant seal Leopard seal Adélie penguins Petrel Emperor penguin Squid Fish Carnivorous plankton Herbivorous zooplankton Krill Phytoplankton Diversity The variety of organisms considered at all levels. from genetic variants belonging to the same species through arrays of species, to arrays of genera, families and still higher taxonomic levels. E. O. Wilson (1992) For the expressed use of students enrolled in GEOG/ENVS 657 at 4
Balance Management Problems with NRM Production /extraction Resource conservation Multiple use Inequities Site specificity Control Public as adversary Single species focus For the expressed use of students enrolled in GEOG/ENVS 657 at 5
Brief History Problems encounter in NRM Landscape Ecology (1960s-present) Conservation Biology (1980s - present) Ecosystem Management (1990s-present) Adaptive Management (1990-present) Uncertainty/ Precautionary Principle Ecosystem Management EM is management driven by explicit goals, executed by policies, protocols and practices, and made adaptable by monitoring and research based on our best understanding of the ecological interactions and processes necessary to sustain ecosystem components, structure and function. Christensen et al, 1996, Ecological Applications Main components of EM Balanced approach Ecological integrity Holistic Uncertainty/flexibility Stakeholders involved Consensus building Watershed approach For the expressed use of students enrolled in GEOG/ENVS 657 at 6
Consensus building Monitoring Innovative Management For the expressed use of students enrolled in GEOG/ENVS 657 at 7
What is Adaptive Management? Adaptive management is an explicit and analytical process for adjusting management and research decisions to better achieve management objectives. Adaptive Management (cont.) Adaptive management recognizes that knowledge about natural resource systems is uncertain. Therefore, some management actions are best conducted as experiments in a continuing attempt to reduce the risk arising from that uncertainty. Adaptive management (cont.) The aim of such experimentation is to find a way to achieve the objectives as quickly as possible while avoiding inadvertent mistakes that could lead to unsatisfactory results. For the expressed use of students enrolled in GEOG/ENVS 657 at 8
Adaptive Management Adaptive management incorporates research into conservation action. It is the integration of design, management, and monitoring to systematically test assumptions in order to adapt and learn. Adaptive Management EM plus experimental approach Cause and effect Monitoring Proactive Conditions That Warrant an Adaptive Management Approach 1. Conservation Projects Take Place In Complex Systems 2: The World is a Constantly and Unpredictably Changing Place 3: Our "Competitors" are Changing and Adapting 4: Immediate Action is Required 5:There is No Such Thing as Complete Information 6: We Can Learn and Improve For the expressed use of students enrolled in GEOG/ENVS 657 at 9
Steps in the Process of Adaptive Management Establish a Clear and Common Purpose Design an Explicit Model of Your System Develop a Management Plan that Maximize Results and Learning Develop a Monitoring Plan to Test Your Assumptions Implement Your Management and Monitoring Plans Steps in the Process of Adaptive Management (cont.) Analyze Data and Communicate Results ITERATE: Use Results to Adapt and Learn SUMMARY ECOLOGY ECOSYSTEMS ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT WATERSHED MANAGEMENT ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT For the expressed use of students enrolled in GEOG/ENVS 657 at 10