mixed and multiple fish stock, which are harvested together by a common fleet
(upper left panel in Fig. 24.1).
But an ecosystem is much more than the mere accumulation of species. It is a
network of multiple and complex interactions. That means that it is not only their
structure which is complicated, but also their state is constantly changing, and due to
the high dynamic, their behavior is not fully predictable. Therefore, the EBM implies
the understanding and management of a complexity of interactions (lower right
panel in Fig. 24.1), which in this context is defined as the ability of a system to
take up a large number of different states over time (Ulrich and Probst 1988). In the
diagram, these interactions are represented by the output of an Ecopath with Ecosim
(EwE) model in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (Corrales 2019) (for more information on Ecopath with Ecosim models, see Pauly et al. 2000).
Very complex systems imply the acknowledging of interdependency connections
by a large number of elements, including the linkages between marine ecosystems,
terrestrial systems and human societies, economies, and institutional systems. These
additional elements are represented in the diagram by the marine spatial planning
(MSP), which is a process that brings together multiple users of the ocean (e.g.,
fishing, shipping, energy, conservation, recreation) to make informed and coordinated decisions about how to use marine resources sustainably (upper right panel in
Fig. 24.1).
The only appropriate approach, to deal with the cumulative pressures and effects
of human uses on marine ecosystems, is for various contributing sectors to set
common goals for the protection or management of ecosystems. While some policies
may only affect a single sector, others may affect multiple sectors.
Once these concepts were incorporated into the management thinking, projecting
this new approach into social science and socioeconomic strategies was only a
matter of time, and the “sustainable management” concept to manage ecosystem
resources and services was fully assimilated into policy documents, For instance,
into the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) (UN 2015), into the
FAO (2014) Blue Growth Initiative (BGI), and into the European Commission
Integrated Marine Policy (EC 2007) and its Blue Growth Strategy (EC 2017).
At a time when humanity is being challenged by many pressures forcing environmental changes at planetary scale, there is no other way than the sustainable
management (imbibed into the EBM and MSP) to manage the marine environment
in an integral way. The more information we can gather about an ecosystem and all
of the interconnected factors which affect it, the more capable we will be of better
managing that system. While we are gaining in complexity, we will be rewarded by
having healthy oceans and well-being for all of us. At the same time, we will cope
with the major achievement of acting with solidarity and equity with both the
developing countries and among generations.
In summary, adopting a “sustainability imperative” requires that we do a much
better job of managing the natural resources, such as fisheries, while respecting the
other sector’s interests and human uses of the ocean; the need for integrative studies
has never been more important (Rothschild 2015).
800
L. Valdés et al.
(upper left panel in Fig. 24.1).
But an ecosystem is much more than the mere accumulation of species. It is a
network of multiple and complex interactions. That means that it is not only their
structure which is complicated, but also their state is constantly changing, and due to
the high dynamic, their behavior is not fully predictable. Therefore, the EBM implies
the understanding and management of a complexity of interactions (lower right
panel in Fig. 24.1), which in this context is defined as the ability of a system to
take up a large number of different states over time (Ulrich and Probst 1988). In the
diagram, these interactions are represented by the output of an Ecopath with Ecosim
(EwE) model in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (Corrales 2019) (for more information on Ecopath with Ecosim models, see Pauly et al. 2000).
Very complex systems imply the acknowledging of interdependency connections
by a large number of elements, including the linkages between marine ecosystems,
terrestrial systems and human societies, economies, and institutional systems. These
additional elements are represented in the diagram by the marine spatial planning
(MSP), which is a process that brings together multiple users of the ocean (e.g.,
fishing, shipping, energy, conservation, recreation) to make informed and coordinated decisions about how to use marine resources sustainably (upper right panel in
Fig. 24.1).
The only appropriate approach, to deal with the cumulative pressures and effects
of human uses on marine ecosystems, is for various contributing sectors to set
common goals for the protection or management of ecosystems. While some policies
may only affect a single sector, others may affect multiple sectors.
Once these concepts were incorporated into the management thinking, projecting
this new approach into social science and socioeconomic strategies was only a
matter of time, and the “sustainable management” concept to manage ecosystem
resources and services was fully assimilated into policy documents, For instance,
into the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) (UN 2015), into the
FAO (2014) Blue Growth Initiative (BGI), and into the European Commission
Integrated Marine Policy (EC 2007) and its Blue Growth Strategy (EC 2017).
At a time when humanity is being challenged by many pressures forcing environmental changes at planetary scale, there is no other way than the sustainable
management (imbibed into the EBM and MSP) to manage the marine environment
in an integral way. The more information we can gather about an ecosystem and all
of the interconnected factors which affect it, the more capable we will be of better
managing that system. While we are gaining in complexity, we will be rewarded by
having healthy oceans and well-being for all of us. At the same time, we will cope
with the major achievement of acting with solidarity and equity with both the
developing countries and among generations.
In summary, adopting a “sustainability imperative” requires that we do a much
better job of managing the natural resources, such as fisheries, while respecting the
other sector’s interests and human uses of the ocean; the need for integrative studies
has never been more important (Rothschild 2015).
800
L. Valdés et al.