Marine Ecosystem—Based Management: Definition,Principles, Framework and Practice

As the largest ecosystems of the earth, marine ecosystem provides many types of ecosystem service to human. More than 60% of the global population lives the coastal area. A healthy ocean is critical to our economy, health and way of life. However, with rapid population growth and densely inhabited coastal areas, our dependence on marine resources is greater than ever. The overuse and mismanagement of ecosystem services have placed great pressure on marine systems, thereby threatening the future of marine ecosystems, and the services they provide. With anthropogenic pressures increasing in coastal cities, adopting ecosystem-based management frameworks that minimize impacts on marine environments while allowing for sustainable development is critical. Marine Ecosystem-Based Management seeks to manage marine resources in ways that protect ecosystem health while providing the ecosystem services needed by people. Rather than focusing solely on a single species or resource, MEBM incorporates science and balances the demands of user groups in a manner that produces management strategies that are more likely to be sustainable than traditional approaches. The definition, principles and framework were discussed in this paper based on the summary of literature, and two examples were introduced. Last, some suggestions were put forward to marine ecosystem management for ocean ecosystem and for healthy coastal resources sustainable utilization.     

我国近海生态系统食物产出的关键过程及其可持续机理

围绕国家重点基础研究发展计划（973计划）项目“我国近海生态系统食物产出的关键过程及其可持续机理”,介绍了海洋可持续生态系统研究对我国社会与科技发展的意义、研究现状和发展趋势、拟解决的关键科学问题和预期目标,以及研究实施计划。该项研究的最终目标是从人类活动和自然变化两个方面认识我国近海海洋生态系统服务与产出功能,量化其生态容纳量及动态变化,预测生态系统的承载能力和易损性,寻求我国近海海洋可持续开发利用与资源环境相协调发展的途径。     

我国海洋生态系统服务功能及其价值评估研究计划

国家海洋局于2005年启动了为期5年“海洋生态系统服务功能及其价值评估”研究计划。该计划的目标是建立具有我国海洋生态特征,适应我国社会经济发展水平的海洋生态系统服务功能定量模型和服务价值计算方法,并基于GIS技术开发生态系统服务价值评估系统,应用于评估渤海、黄海、东海和南海四大生态系统的服务价值和11个沿海省市区的近海服务价值,同时评估赤潮、病原生物和外来种导致的海洋生态系统服务价值损失,为实现人海和谐的海洋开发产业布局和用海活动提供定量评估技术支持,为基于生态系统的海洋管理提供理论支撑。目前,该计划已经建立了我国海洋生态系统服务功能分类体系、服务功能量化指标和服务价值计算指标体系,完成评估软件系统的设计。     

Interactions between human communities and estuaries in the Pacific Northwest: Trends and implications for management

This paper explores social, and economic aspects of coastal communities crucial to the management of estuaries in the Pacific Northwest. These aspects include the changing demographics and economies of coastal communities, and the public perceptions, attitudes, and values pertaining to estuarine ecosystems. Information from Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor in Washington and Tillamook, Yaquina, and Coos Bays in Oregon shows that the coastal communities are growing more slowly than the states overall., that the populations are relatively old, and that, although the local economies continue to rely on them, the extractive natural resource industries (fishing, aquaculture, agriculture, forest products) are declining in importance relative to tourism, recreation, and retirement industries. These trends suggest that human uses of the estuaries are changing in character, and altering the management problems. Coastal residents choose to live in these communities to enjoy the views and scenery, to experience rural living, to be near the ocean, and to recreate outdoors. People express coherent perceptions of risks to the estuaries, especially the threats of declining fish habitats, oil spills, shoreline development, invasive species, and logging in upland areas> Residential land values are enhanced by the presence of wetlands and forests and are diminished by the presence of hazardous waste sites. We conclude that, if recent trends in population age structure, income sources, and employment status continue, public attitudes and values will move towards stronger environmental protection. Because ecosystem management involves local public participation and collaboration, estuarine managers will be faced with both increased demands and opportunities.     

Causes and Consequences of Ecosystem Service Regionalization in a Coastal Suburban Watershed

The demand for ecosystem services and the ability of natural ecosystems to provide those services evolve over time as population, land use, and management practices change. Regionalization of ecosystem service activity, or the expansion of the area providing ecosystem services to a population, is a common response in densely populated coastal regions, with important consequences for watershed water and nitrogen (N) fluxes to the coastal zone. We link biophysical and historical information to explore the causes and consequences of change in ecosystem service activity—focusing on water provisioning and N regulation—from 1850 to 2010 in a coastal suburban watershed, the Ipswich River watershed in northeastern Massachusetts, USA. Net interbasin water transfers started in the late 1800s due to regionalization of water supply for use by larger populations living outside the Ipswich watershed boundaries, reaching a peak in the mid-1980s. Over much of the twentieth century, about 20 % of river runoff was diverted from reaching the estuary, with greater proportions during drought years. Ongoing regionalization of water supply has contributed to recent declines in diversions, influenced by socioecological feedbacks resulting from the river drying and fish kills. Similarly, the N budget has been greatly perturbed since the suburban era began in the 1950s due to food and lawn fertilizer imports and human waste release. However, natural ecosystems are able to remove most of this anthropogenic N, mitigating impacts on the coastal zone. We propose a conceptual model whereby the amount and type of ecosystem services provided by coastal watersheds in urban regions expand and contract over time as regional population expands and ecosystem services are regionalized. We hypothesize that suburban watersheds can be hotspots of ecosystem service sources because they retain sufficient ecosystem function to still produce services that meet increasing demand from the local population and nearby urban centers. Historical reconstruction of ecosystem service activity provides a perspective that may help to better understand coupled human–natural system processes and lead to more sustainable management of coastal ecosystems.     

Research Progress and Prospect of Ecosystem Services

Ecosystem services refer to the benefits that humans obtain from natural ecosystems. Landscape pattern is closely related to ecosystem processes/functions. Understanding the quantitative relationship between landscape pattern and ecosystem services in the context of climate change is an important way to improve the ability of a region/landscape to provide ecosystem services. This article reviewed the progress and existing problems in the research field of ecosystem service measurement, mutual relationship and optimal management. This article emphasized that the accurate measurement of the amount of ecosystem services is the basis of valuing it, and the constraint line approach has great potential in portraying the nonlinear relationship and threshold characteristics of ecosystem services. It is necessary to start from the integrity of human-environment coupling system to develop a new generation of earth system models and optimize regional ecosystem services on this basis, which is a landscape sustainability science approach to achieve the goal of regional sustainable development.     

Identification of the core ecosystem services and their spatial heterogeneity in Poyang Lake area

According to the ecosystem assessment framework developed by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA), this paper designs an evaluation system of ecosystem services in Poyang Lake area. On the basis of relevant variables disaggregated to 1 km grid using the gridded 1 km, this paper employs factor analysis to extract a number of factors which characterize the ecosystem services of Poyang Lake area. The extracted principal component are then represented onto 1 km×1 km grids by spatial clustering analysis to recognize and identify the minimal but consistent mapping units for ecosystem services which can be used to delimit the boundaries of ecological service zones. The research identifies ten ecosystem service zones in Poyang Lake area according to the consistent principle of core ecosystem service unit. Four kinds of core ecosystem services including supporting function, provisioning function, regulating function and cultural function are identified and represented. The research results could provide both spatially and temporally valuable decision-making information for sustainable ecosystem management in the targeted area.     

华南陡山沱期晚期宏体生物生态系统的出现及其意义*

生态系统的演化是生物起源与演化的主要驱动动力之一。在生命演化早期,生态系统的演化大体经历了“微生物席生态系统”、“浮游真核生物生态系统”、“宏体藻类生态系统”、“宏体生物生态系统”和寒武纪及其后较为完善生态系统的演化历程。早期生态系统的演化主要表现为：生物生境从沉积物表层到水体之中再到沉积物内部的扩展,生物种群之间的关系从被动地接受到对环境因子需求的相互竞争,能量传递方式从生物体外摄取或体外同化到体外摄食体内同化,生态金字塔结构由简单到多层次化和复杂化,生物参与对环境的改造能力逐渐增强。随着华南伊迪卡拉纪陡山沱期晚期“宏体生物生态系统”的出现,生物对环境因子需求的竞争性和改造能力大幅度增强,实现了生物体内能量的传递方式,生态金字塔多层次化和复杂化,成为生物迅速演化和其后“寒武纪生命大爆发”的重要转折。     

A Climate Change Adaptation Strategy for Management of Coastal Marsh Systems

Sea level rise is causing shoreline erosion, increased coastal flooding, and marsh vulnerability to the impact of storms. Coastal marshes provide flood abatement, carbon and nutrient sequestration, water quality maintenance, and habitat for fish, shellfish, and wildlife, including species of concern, such as the saltmarsh sparrow (Ammodramus caudacutus). We present a climate change adaptation strategy (CCAS) adopted by scientific, management, and policy stakeholders for managing coastal marshes and enhancing system resiliency. A common adaptive management approach previously used for restoration projects was modified to identify climate-related vulnerabilities and plan climate change adaptive actions. As an example of implementation of the CCAS, we describe the stakeholder plans and management actions the US Fish and Wildlife Service and partners developed to build coastal resiliency in the Narrow River Estuary, RI, in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. When possible, an experimental BACI (before-after, control-impact) design, described as pre- and post-sampling at the impact site and one or more control sites, was incorporated into the climate change adaptation and implementation plans. Specific climate change adaptive actions and monitoring plans are described and include shoreline stabilization, restoring marsh drainage, increasing marsh elevation, and enabling upland marsh migration. The CCAS provides a framework and methodology for successfully managing coastal systems faced with deteriorating habitat, accelerated sea level rise, and changes in precipitation and storm patterns.     

Stakeholders’ perceptions of the impacts of invasive exotic plant species in the Mediterranean region

Invasive species pose an increasing environmental problem across the globe, but to date socio-economic perspectives on this problem have been limited. In this study stakeholder perceptions of the impacts of invasive exotic plant species on the islands of Mallorca, Sardinia and Crete are examined through the use of semi-structured interviews, Likert scales and Contingent Valuation. Results showed substantial concerns about the impact of invasive exotic plant species on the islands, particularly on Mallorca where awareness of the issue has increased in recent times due to campaigns to eradicate terrestrial and aquatic invasive plants. Not all perceptions are negative and several respondents suggest that a turnover in local species is an inherent part of the sense of the place in the region. If the management of invasive exotic plant species in the Mediterranean region is to improve then there is a need to raise awareness of the impact of invasive species amongst both the general public and professional stakeholders.     

Models of natural and human dynamics in forest landscapes: Cross-site and cross-cultural synthesis

We synthesize the study of coupled natural and human systems across sites and cultures through a process of simplification and abstraction based on multiple dimensions of human-nature connectedness: satisfaction of basic needs, psycho-cultural connectedness and regulation of use of natural resources. We thus provide both a place-based and general understanding of value-driven anthropogenic environmental change and response. Two questions guide this research: what are the crucial stakeholder values that drive land use decisions and thus land cover change? And how can knowledge of these values be used to make decisions and policies that sustain both the human and natural systems in a place? To explore these questions we build simulation models of four study sites, two in the State of Texas, United States, and two in Venezuela. All include protected areas, though they differ in the specifics of vegetation and land use. In the Texas sites, relatively affluent individuals are legally converting forests to residential, commercial, and industrial uses, while in Venezuela landless settlers are extra-legally converting forests for purposes of subsistence agriculture. Contemporary modeling techniques now facilitate simulations of stakeholder and ecosystem dynamics revealing emergent patterns. Such coupled human and natural systems are currently recognized as a form of biocomplexity. Our modeling framework is flexible enough to allow adaptation to each of the study sites, capturing the essential features of the respective natural and anthropogenic land use changes and stakeholder reactions. The interactions between human stakeholders are simulated using multi-agent models that act on forest landscape models, and receive feedback of the effects of these actions on ecological habitats and hydrological response. The multi-agent models employ a formal logic-based method for the Venezuelan sites and a decision analysis approach using multi-attribute utility functions for the Texas sites, differing more in style and emphasis than in substance. Our natural-systems models are generic and can be tailored according to site-specific conditions. Similar models of tree growth and patch transitions are used for all the study sites and the differing responses to environmental variables are specified for each local species and terrain conditions.     

Modeling hydrological ecosystem services and tradeoffs: a case study in Baiyangdian watershed, China

Policy makers and scientists consider that land use strategies are designed to provide direct benefits to people by protecting vital ecosystem services. However, due to lack of information and evaluation methods, there is no effective and systematic tool for assessing tradeoffs between direct human benefits and ecosystem services. Land use changes influence ecosystem properties, processes and components, which are the basis for providing services. Five alternative land use scenarios (no conversion of agricultural lands, no urban expansion, agricultural expansion, forestry expansion, and riparian reforestation) were modeled for the Baiyangdian watershed, China, a densely populated, highly modified watershed with serious water shortage and pollution problems. The model InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs) is designed to inform decisions about natural resource management, with an aim to align economic forces with conservation. Three ecosystem services (agricultural production, hydropower production, and water quality) were modeled to balance direct benefits and hydrological ecosystem services using InVEST. The results showed that: hydropower production was the greatest in the forestry expansion, but the lowest in agricultural expansion; agricultural production was reduced the most in forestry expansion, while retained the most in riparian reforestation. Riparian reforestation also provided the highest N and P retention and lowest N and P exportation. Riparian reforestation was the optimal land use strategy, since it protected and enhanced the vital ecosystem services without undermining direct human benefits. This research presents an initial analytical framework for integrating direct human benefits and ecosystem services in policy planning and illustrates its application. Although there are important potential tradeoffs between ecosystem services, this systematic planning framework offers a means for identifying valuable synergies between conservation and development.     

生态系统评估的概念、内涵及挑战——介绍《生态系统与人类福利：评估框架》

综合已有的生态学数据和知识,对生态系统进行科学的评估,以确保对生态系统的保护和合理利用,是人类福利及其可持续发展的重要保障。结合国际上“千年生态系统评估”计划的最新成果,对生态系统评估的概念和内涵进行了详细的阐述。生态系统及其服务功能与人类福利之间的联系是生态系统评估的核心,因此,生态系统评估的概念框架主要包括：生态系统及其服务功能、人类福利与消除贫困、生态系统及其服务功能变化的驱动力、生态系统不同尺度间的相互作用和评估,以及生态系统的价值与评价等基本概念。对以上基本概念和内涵及它们之间的相互关系的准确理解和把握是开展生态系统评估的前提条件。当前,在生态系统及其服务功能评估的综合性、驱动力分析和评估尺度的选定等方面尚面临挑战,仍需进行深入探讨。     

A spatial analysis of integrated risk: vulnerability of ecosystem services provisioning to different hazards in the Czech Republic

Ecosystem services are important to maintain the human well-being. However, their provisioning has been under the increasing pressure from both natural and socio-economic changes. This paper aims to assess the most significant hazards, such as water quality, nitrogen deposition, erosion, floods, invasive species, urbanisation and contaminated sites affecting delivery of ecosystem services in the Czech Republic. Using the multi-hazard assessment, the integrated risk index for ecosystem service provisioning was proposed. The spatial analysis based on this approach was then applied to the Czech Republic as a case study. The results showed that about 48% of the area falls into the very low risk category followed by 30%, 21%, and 1% for low, medium and high categories, respectively. Forest and wetland ecosystems were estimated to have the highest proportion of their total area among the highest risk values. Moreover, we found that the national parks appeared to have the highest proportion of medium- and high-risk classes among the natural areas. The approach presented in this study should aggregate the existing knowledge on ecosystem services and hazards and thus monitor the integrated risk. The results are intended to help with various planning and management decisions at both the national and regional levels and to bring more attention on the most problematic hot-spots.     

基于生态工程的海岸带全球变化适应性防护策略

在全球变化导致的海平面上升和灾害性气候等压力下,我国海岸带风暴潮、海岸侵蚀、地面沉降等灾害发生频率和强度正在增加,对海岸防护体系的需求日益提高。传统海岸防护工程维护成本高,更新困难,而且可能造成地面沉降、水质恶化、生态退化、渔业资源衰退等后果。基于生态工程的海岸防护提供了抵御海岸带灾害的新理念。修复和重建沙滩、红树林、沼泽湿地、珊瑚礁等海岸带生态系统,可以起到消浪、蓄积泥沙、抬升地面的作用,有效应对全球变化引发的灾害风险,形成更可持续的海岸防护体系。通过分析不同海岸防护技术的优势和限制,认为以生态工程为核心理念构建和管理我国海岸防护体系,才能起到保障社会经济发展和维持生态健康的最佳效果。     

海洋生态系统动力学研究与海洋生物资源可持续利用

围绕国家重点基础研究发展规划（973）项目“东、黄海生态系统动力学与生物资源可持续利用”，介绍了海洋生态系统动力学研究对我国社会与科技发展的意义、研究现状和发展趋势、拟解决的关键科学问题以及实施计划。该项研究的最终目标是弄清我国近海海洋生态系统的结构、功能及其服务与产出，量化其动态变化及生态容纳量，预测生物资源的补充量，寻求可持续开发利用海洋生态系统的途径。使集中多种机制于一体并具陆架特色的我国近海生态系统力学理论体系和研究队伍进行国际先进行列。     

生态区评价研究的兴起与发展——以美国森林生态系统管理评价(FEMAT)研究为例

生态区评价是近年来出现在美国的一种新型区域生态系统管理方法的理论与实践科学研究,起始于美国总统森林会议(1993)后成立的森林生态系统管理评价组(FEMAT),目标是实现地区生态系统的科学管理.本文评介了生态区评价首项案例--美国西北太平洋沿岸区原始森林及其他各类森林经营管理方案的生态、经济、社会影响综合评价的科学与方法实践意义.指出FEMAT的生态区评价:1)迈出了生态区评价历史上坚实的第一步,实现了区域土地利用规划与生态系统管理方案从以行政疆域为准划分向以生态区域为准划定边界的转变;2)方案优化过程充分考虑区域生态、经济、社会的历史、现状与未来趋势等各方面,将科学、政策、管理融为一体,使之易于在实践中贯彻;3)促进了不同政府机构和利益团体间为实现资源开发与生态保育双重目标而共同协作.     

Development of coastal erosion and management

Coastal erosion and management attract much conern all around the world as coastal erosion is a problem at many coastal sites exacerbated by human activities and its adaptability through reasonable mitigation measures. This paper summarizes the main factors causing coastal erosion including reduction of sediment discharged by rivers trapped coastal structures, sand mining and reclaimation, relative sea-level rise, destruction of coastal ecosystem and weakening of coastal defenses. Mechanisms causing erosion of coastal dune, soft rock coast and muddy coast are identified and discussed. Sandy coastal erosion, soft rock coastal erosion, muddy coastal erosion, biological coastal erosion and coastal structural erosion are identified according to the characteristics of erosion in China. This study supplements the theory and methodology for coastal erosion management and provides information for managers and stakeholders.     

Managing Bay and Estuarine Ecosystems for Multiple Services

Managers are moving from a model of managing individual sectors, human activities, or ecosystem services to an ecosystem-based management (EBM) approach which attempts to balance the range of services provided by ecosystems. Applying EBM is often difficult due to inherent tradeoffs in managing for different services. This challenge particularly holds for estuarine systems, which have been heavily altered in most regions and are often subject to intense management interventions. Estuarine managers can often choose among a range of management tactics to enhance a particular service; although some management actions will result in strong tradeoffs, others may enhance multiple services simultaneously. Management of estuarine ecosystems could be improved by distinguishing between optimal management actions for enhancing multiple services and those that have severe tradeoffs. This requires a framework that evaluates tradeoff scenarios and identifies management actions likely to benefit multiple services. We created a management action-services matrix as a first step towards assessing tradeoffs and providing managers with a decision support tool. We found that management actions that restored or enhanced natural vegetation (e.g., salt marsh and mangroves) and some shellfish (particularly oysters and oyster reef habitat) benefited multiple services. In contrast, management actions such as desalination, salt pond creation, sand mining, and large container shipping had large net negative effects on several of the other services considered in the matrix. Our framework provides resource managers a simple way to inform EBM decisions and can also be used as a first step in more sophisticated approaches that model service delivery.     

喀斯特生态系统服务研究进展与展望

喀斯特生态系统是全球典型的脆弱生态系统之一,它为人类提供了重要的服务功能和价值。回顾国内外喀斯特生态系统服务研究的文献可发现,当前研究多遵循“土地利用变化—生态系统服务价值响应”的研究范式,仅重视中小尺度喀斯特生态系统服务价值的空间异质性,强调土地利用变化和生态工程对生态系统服务价值的影响。而今后应加强基于“生态系统结构、过程—功能—服务”级联框架的喀斯特生态系统服务研究,构建喀斯特生态系统服务分类体系,突出大尺度喀斯特生态系统服务评估,拓展喀斯特生态系统服务之间权衡与协同及喀斯特生态系统服务对人类福祉的影响,定量分析自然和人为因素对喀斯特生态系统服务的影响。