Introduction to the ecosystem approach as a framework for management of ecosystem use

1. Introduction to the ecosystem approach as a framework for management of ecosystem use Kevern Cochrane and Warwick Sauer

2. CBD Definition of an Ecosystem Approach • 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. …It is … focused on levels of biological organization which encompass the essential processes, functions and interactions among organisms and their environment. It recognizes that humans, with their cultural diversity, are an integral component of ecosystems. http://www.cbd.int/ecosystem/

3. FAO Definition of EAF An Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries strives to balance diverse societal objectives, by taking account of the knowledge and uncertainties about biotic, abiotic and human components of ecosystems and their interactions and applying an integrated approach to fisheries within ecologically meaningful boundaries. (FAO, 2003)

4. Legal Framework - CBD • The primary principle (Article 3, CBD 1992 ) of the CBD is that: • “States have, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of international law, the sovereign right to exploit their own resources pursuant to their own environmental policies, and the responsibility to ensure that activities within their jurisdiction or control do not cause damage to the environment of other States or of areas beyond the limits of national jurisdiction.”

5. Legal Framework – CBD (cont.) • Decision II/10 of the 2nd CoP to CBD, 1995 “Encourages the use of integrated marine and coastal area management as the most suitable framework for addressing human impacts on marine and coastal biological diversity and for promoting conservation and sustainable use of this biodiversity.”

6. UN Law of the Sea: Art. 61 • 2. The coastal State, shall ensure ... that the maintenance of the living resources in the EEZ is not endangered by over-exploitation. ... the coastal State and competent international organizations...shall cooperate to this end. • 3. Such measures shall also be designed to maintain or restore populations of harvested species at levels which can produce the MSY, as qualified by......, the interdependence of stocks and any generally recommended international minimum standards, whether subregional, regional or global. • 4. ....the coastal State shall take into consideration the effects on species associated with or dependent upon harvested species with a view to maintaining or restoring populations of such ...species above levels at which their reproduction may become seriously threatened.

7. FAO Code of Conduct States and users of living aquatic resources should conserve aquatic ecosystems. The right to fish carries with it the obligation to do so in a responsible manner so as to ensure effective conservation and management of the living aquatic resources.

8. A Sectoral Example - the Rationale for EAF The purpose of an ecosystem approach to fisheries is to plan, develop and manage fisheries in a manner that addresses the multiplicity of societal needs and desires, without jeopardising the options for future generations to benefit from marine ecosystems. the full range of goods and services provided by

9. The underlying rationale of single-species approaches: the Schaefer Model

10. The ecological reality:

11. Ecosystem approaches to sectors in the broader EA framework

12. Interim Agreement on the Establishment of the Benguela Current Commission PREAMBLE • “Contracting Parties”: • Recognising the unique character of the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem, the threats to it, and its significance for their socio-economic development and for the wellbeing of their people; • Conscious of their joint responsibility as custodians of this globally significant large marine ecosystem to conserve it for the benefit of present and future generations; • Recognising that effective long-term cooperation between them in implementing an ecosystem approach to the management of human activities affecting the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem requires the establishment of stable institutional arrangements;

13. Article 1.Use of Terms • For the purposes of this Interim Agreement - “Adverse impact” • (a) includes any actual or potential detrimental effect on the BCLME that results directly or indirectly from human conduct originating wholly or partly within the territory of a Contracting Party or from a vessel or aircraft under its jurisdiction or control; and • (b) includes any actual or potential detrimental effect on legitimate uses of the BCLME, on the health of people in the Contracting Parties or on their ability to provide for their health, safety and cultural and economic wellbeing, which occurs or may occur as a consequence of a detrimental effect referred to in (a); but • (c) does not include any actual or potential detrimental effect that is negligible or which has been assessed and determined to be acceptable under this Interim Agreement;

14. ARTICLE 9. ECOSYSTEM ADVISORY COMMITTEE 1. The Ecosystem Advisory Committee shall consist of experts ...... supervised by the Management Board. • 2. The role of Ecosystem Advisory Committee is – • (a) to support decision-making by the BCC and the Contracting Parties by providing them with the best available scientific, management, legal and other information, and expert advice concerning the conservation and ecologically sustainable use and development of the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem; and • (b) to build capacity within the Contracting Parties to generate and provide the information and expert advice referred to in (a) on a sustainable basis.

15. Recognising and Acknowledging the Impacts and Interactions Health

16. Some examples of “EAF Issues” from the Benguela Current countries • Bycatch of species that are important target species for other fisheries. • Mortality to threatened sharks, seabirds and other species of conservation concern • Limited knowledge of true biodoiversity and impacts of fishery on biodiversity • Conflicts between industrial and small-scale fisheries • Impacts of trawls on the benthic fauna and flora • Increasing impacts on fisheries of offshore mining and oil exploration and extraction • Environmental impacts (e.g. Benguela Niño and deoxygenation events)

17. EA Management and Institutions – Responding at Different Scales

18. Management Processesi) Developing a management plan

19. Multi-scale Requirements of EBM Governance Structure Fanning et al. 2007. A large marine ecosystem governance framework

20. Challenges to Application of EA:Institutional Needs in the BCLME* Management structures • Stakeholder participation • Access rights • Management plans • Inter-agency cooperation • International (outside BCLME) Information and research • Data • Research staff • Science and decision-making • Information dissemination Legal Monitoring, control and surveillance • Enforcement • Observer coverage *From the BCLME/FAO Project on EAF Implementation 2004-2006

21. Priority Issues for Implementation of EAF the BCLME • Lack of capacity is a major constraint in the attempt to implement EAF. • All countries need a resource management structure that: • is suitable for EAF; • includes the main stakeholders; and • encompasses direct involvement of stakeholders in the decision-making process. • In Angola and Namibia communications with the oil industry and marine diamond mining respectively must be improved. • Improved capacity for long-term ecosystem monitoring, placement of scientific observers and improved data management are required. • Angola requires: • improved surveillance and compliance; • a suitable system of access rights for the artisanal fisheries • Inadequate capacity should not preclude the implementation of EAF measures. • Single species approaches are an essential component of the fisheries management but need to be broadened for EAF.

22. Conclusions • The recent awareness of importance of EA recognises interactions and impacts between different human sectors and ecosystem • Implementation of EA builds on sectoral approaches but requires addition of wider knowledge and encompassing institutions • Optimal use of natural resources requires that negative impacts and conflicts are addressed and resolved: this requires compromises and trade-offs • Best-available information on ecological, social and economic costs and benefits of activities and decisions affecting activities important for wise decision-making. Economic valuations contribute to that information.