an approach to ecosystem management that 1) emphasizes the need to collect and synthesize information on ecosystem structure and function; 2) recognizes that different levels within the ecosystem are interrelated and interdependent; and 3)necessitates management strategies that are ecological, anticipatory and ethical
the integration of water quality management and natural resources management, across jurisdictional boundaries (State, Provincial, and Federal), in order to protect and restore the beneficial uses of the Lake Erie ecosystem.
A comprehensive and holistic approach to understanding and anticipating ecological change, assessing the full range of consequences, and developing appropriate management responses. The integration of water quality management and natural resources management, across jurisdictional boundaries, in order to protect and restore the beneficial uses of the Great Lakes ecosystem. The goal of the ecosystem approach is to restore and maintain the health, sustainability, and biological diversity of ecosystems while supporting sustainable economies and communities. The 1994 SOLEC Integration Paper prepared by the EPA and Environment Canada defined the ecosystem approach to management as "a holistic approach that recognizes the interconnectedness of and addresses the linkages occurring among air, water, land, and living things."
a process for the comprehensive management of land, water, and biotic and abiotic resources that equitably promotes conservation and sustainable use
The ecosystem approach is a strategy for the integrated management of land, water and living resources that promotes conservation and sustainable use in an equitable way. Thus, the application of the ecosystem approach will help to reach a balance of the three objectives of the Convention: conservation, sustainable use and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources. An ecosystem approach is based on the application of appropriate scientific methodologies focused on levels of biological organization, which encompass the essential structure, processes, functions and interactions among organisms and their environment. It recognises that humans, with their cultural diversity, are an integral component of many ecosystems. Convention on Biological Diversity
the ecosystem approach to fisheries management involves a consideration of all the physical, chemical and biological variables within an ecosystem, taking account of their complex interactions.
Recognizes the interactive system of biological communities, their non-living components, their associated activities and the interconnectedness of and linkages occurring among air, water, land and living things. Ecosystems include humans and their activities and institutions.
An approach to perceiving, managing and otherwise living in an ecosystem that recognizes the need to preserve the ecosystem's biochemical pathways upon which the welfare of all life depends in the context of multifaceted relationships (biological, social, economic, etc.) that distinguish that particular ecosystem.
Protecting or restoring the function, structure, and species composition of an ecosystem, recognizing that all components are interrelated.
A strategy or plan to manage ecosystems to provide for all associated organisms, as opposed to a strategy or plan for managing individual species ( S&G Jan 2001, p. 74)
A method for sustaining or restoring ecological systems and their functions and values. It is goal driven, and it is based on a collaboratively developed vision of desired future conditions that integrates ecological, economic, and social factors. It is applied within a geographic framework defined primarily by ecological boundaries.
