7 PILLARS OF ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT

Ecosystem management is widely proposed in the popular and professiona l literature as the modern and preferred way of managing natural resou rces and ecosystems. Advocates glowingly describe ecosystem management as an approach that will protect the environment, maintain healthy ec osystems, preserve biological diversity, and ensure sustainable develo pment. Critics scoff at the concept as a new label for old ideas. The definitions of ecosystem management are vague and clarify little. Seve n core principles, or pillars, of ecosystem management define and boun d the concept and provide operational meaning: (1) ecosystem managemen t reflects a stage in the continuing evolution of social values and pr iorities; it is neither a beginning nor an end; (2) ecosystem manageme nt is place-based and the boundaries of the place must be clearly and formally defined; (3) ecosystem management should maintain ecosystems in the appropriate condition to achieve desired social benefits; (4) e cosystem management should take advantage of the ability of ecosystems to respond to a variety of stressors, natural and man-made, but all e cosystems have limited ability to accommodate stressors and maintain a desired state; (5) ecosystem management may or may not result in emph asis on biological diversity; (6) the term sustainability, if used at all in ecosystem management, should be clearly defined-specifically th e time frame of concern, the benefits and costs of concern, and the re lative priority of the benefits and costs; and (7) scientific informat ion is important for effective ecosystem management, but is only one e lement in a decision-making process that is fundamentally one of publi c and private choice. A definition of ecosystem management based on th e seven pillars is: 'the application of ecological and social informat ion, options, and constraints to achieve desired social benefits withi n a defined geographic area and over a specified period'. As with all management paradigms, there is no 'right' decision but rather those de cisions that appear to best respond to society's current and future ne eds as expressed through a decision-making process. There are, however , wrong management decisions, including the decision not to make a dec ision. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.