By Danielle Kreeger, Ph.D., Science Director, Partnership for the Delaware Estuary

Published on March 6, 2008
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Ecosystem-based management has been a hot topic lately among scientists and resource managers in the Delaware Estuary. Many are concerned that the traditional issue-by-issue, resource-by-resource approach to environmental management makes it difficult to deal with complex interactions, like those resulting from changes in climate, land use, and many other challenges that arise as populations grow. Increasingly, people are beginning to recognize the need for holistic management of the Estuary’s natural environment.

In a 2006 report, entitled “Ecosystem-based Management: Markers for Assessing Programs,” the United Nations Environment Programme recognized that, “On a planet dominated by human activities, it is increasingly necessary to design and implement management programmes that address complex linkages between [systems].”

Ecology is the study of interactions. Interactions occur among plants, animals and environmental conditions in a myriad of ways. Even slight population changes among certain species, or key chemical and physical conditions, can lead to unanticipated outcomes due to a complex web of direct and indirect (hidden) relationships. In fact, there is a common joke among ecologists that predicting ecological responses is not rocket science — it’s more difficult.

Ecosystem-based management means different things to different people, but generally it is a management strategy that considers the sum of all parts rather than just the parts alone. Metaphorically speaking, it is like managing the health of a living organism; a person even. Would you evaluate your heart or circulatory system without considering your diet or exercise regimen? Probably not, but that hasn’t always been the case.

So, why aren’t we taking an ecosystem-based approach right now? In a number of cases we are, but we still have a long way to go. One reason for this is, as a society, we tend to be more reactive than proactive. Limited funding and public support frequently force us to focus on today’s crises rather than managing for tomorrow’s health. This is similar to the choice people and insurance companies face when deciding how much to invest in preventative health care versus immediate care. When resources are tight, immediate needs (especially emergencies) come first, even though preventative measures save resources in the long run.

Another barrier to ecosystem-based management is the system of jurisdictional boundaries that exists in our region. The Delaware Estuary extends into five states, two regions of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and hundreds of local jurisdictions, like counties, cities, towns, and townships . E ach of these entities makes its own decisions that impact the Estuary’s natural resources, and they don’t always agree. Take, for example, the recent dispute between Pennsylvania and New Jersey over a proposed channel deepening, or the Supreme Court battle between Delaware and New Jersey over a planned liquid natural gas terminal. Disagreement between jurisdictions can make holistic management of the Estuary a challenge.

To complicate matters, there are also individual departments within each jurisdiction, each with its own focus or mandate. These can also create barriers among scientists and managers that prevent them from taking a “big-picture” perspective. Fortunately, ecosystem-based management has recently begun to be taught and promoted within our universities and academic institutions, but it will take time for this to have an impact.

Lastly, adoption of ecosystem-based management is also made challenging by some fundamental gaps in our knowledge about how ecosystems work in the Delaware Estuary. Getting a secure grasp of “system ecology” in the Estuary will require significant resources and the time necessary to examine patterns over multiple years, spanning different conditions.

Together, these challenges make an already complex ecosystem even more complex to manage holistically. As the National Estuary Program responsible for the Delaware Estuary, the Partnership has spearheaded efforts to advance ecosystem-based management in our region . By hosting biennial science and environmental conferences and additional thematic workshops, we bring different sectors together to discuss region-wide challenges and solutions. The Partnership has also re-formed, and continues to operate, a multidisciplinary Science and Technical Advisory Committee to help the organization tackle important contemporary science issues among diverse sectors in the Estuary. This committee alone has spawned four new technical workgroups to help fill vital niches in the Estuary.

In the future, the Partnership hopes to increase relations among specialists working throughout the region, including those focused on monitoring the environment or managing specific resources. The Partnership will also continue to increase its support for a holistic, ecosystem-based view among leadership throughout the region. Our goal is to cross-link all monitoring, conservation and restoration together with regulatory affairs in a way that best manages tomorrow’s Delaware Estuary ecosystem.