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:
- 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…
“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
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
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 societal objectives
National Marine Sanctuary System
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PAPAHANAUMOKUAKEA
MARINE NATIONAL MONUMENT
“Responsible for More U.S. Territory than U.S. Park Service and FWS Refuges Combined.”
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
Conservation Science
Ecosystem Characterization:
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Mapping, classification
Physical processes
Biodiversity
Ecological linkages
Social/cultural/economic
Monitoring:
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Ecosystem integrity
Issue based PSR design
Water, habitat, living resources
Maritime archaeological resources
Applied Research:
– Process studies
– Modeling, prediction
Connectivity: Bugs Without Borders
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SPLASH
PISCO/West Coast Obs
OCNMS
FKNMS
CEC Bioregional Status
NEW
AE
CD
IJ
Help from History
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Historical ecosystem context
HMAP SBNMS
HMAP FKNMS
Through the eyes of fishermen
To Respond or Not: What’s Natural?
Event Response: Coral Bleaching
Management Issue:
Predicting and documenting coral bleaching
Information Needs:
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Identifying areas of high bleaching risk
Measuring the extent of bleaching
Data Needs:
Near real-time
– Temperature
– Wind
– Light
Decision-Support Products:
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Degree heating weeks
Hot spot maps
Management Response/Actions:
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Sampling strategy
Media communications
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 & socioeconomic)
– Alternative analyses
Management Response/Actions:
– Establish reserve boundaries
encompassing target species critical
habitat
Emergency Response: Oil Spills
Management Issue:
Deciding on dispersant use following an oil spill
Information Needs:
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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:
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Surface and subsurface currents, & waves
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Weather (esp. surface winds speed/direction)
Baseline living resource distribution,
abundance, condition, & sensitivity
•
Satellites, buoys, ADCP, CODAR, archived data)
Decision-Support Products:
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Trajectory maps and projections
Dispersion predictions (depth, [])
Bathymetry & habitat
Ecosystem sensitivity maps
Management Response/Actions:
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Dispersant use decision
Boom and skimmer deployment
Shoreline response team deployment
Management Issue:
Fish Refuge
Deciding whether to allow spearfishing
Information Needs:
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Location and extent of essential habitat
Target species abundance & production
(population resilience)
Target species ecological roles
Current and projected use
Data Needs:
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Habitat distribution and area
Spatial use and abundance by life stage
Trophic interactions and structure
Fecundity and survival
Currents, eddies
Decision-Support Products:
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Amount and location of essential habitat
Essential habitats by life history stage
Forecasts of impacts and recovery
Management Response/Actions:
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Public education during MPR
Regulatory decision
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:
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Whale-watch records
Acoustic tagging (location, behavior)
Prey dynamics (location, persistence)
Vessel traffic patterns (AIS data)
Decision-Support Products:
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Whale and traffic density maps
Traffic routing scenarios (changes in
risk vs. travel time/economics)
Management Response/Actions:
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Establishing or modifying shipping lanes
Speed limits in selected areas
Broadcasting alerts to mariners to
minimize collisions
Ecosystem Based Management
It’s not how you define it,
but how you do it.