23
commercial fi sh and nutrient cycling (HELCOM 2009a , 2010 ; Korpinen et al. 2012 ;
UNEP 2005 ). The consequences of eutrophication in the Baltic Sea may ultimately
be an ecological regime shift – i.e. a situation where the ecosystem shifts from one
relatively stable state to another with unknown thresholds between the states – with
associated risks of detrimental effects on ecosystem services and an unknown
degree of resilience (Österblom et al. 2010 ; Österblom et al. 2007 ).
Traditionally, the governance approach to environmental problems and risks has
presupposed that various phenomena in natural systems can rationally be dealt with
by straightforward science-based management (Linke et al. 2016 ). The basis for this
view has been a reductionist scientifi c approach, within an international framework
of environmental governance, fragmented into sectors and countries and divided
into national and international levels (Mee 2005 ). For example, fi sheries and agriFig. 2.1 A conceptual model describing the complex primary and secondary ecosystem effects of
eutrophication in a marine area
2 Eutrophication and the Ecosystem Approach to Management: A Case Study…
commercial fi sh and nutrient cycling (HELCOM 2009a , 2010 ; Korpinen et al. 2012 ;
UNEP 2005 ). The consequences of eutrophication in the Baltic Sea may ultimately
be an ecological regime shift – i.e. a situation where the ecosystem shifts from one
relatively stable state to another with unknown thresholds between the states – with
associated risks of detrimental effects on ecosystem services and an unknown
degree of resilience (Österblom et al. 2010 ; Österblom et al. 2007 ).
Traditionally, the governance approach to environmental problems and risks has
presupposed that various phenomena in natural systems can rationally be dealt with
by straightforward science-based management (Linke et al. 2016 ). The basis for this
view has been a reductionist scientifi c approach, within an international framework
of environmental governance, fragmented into sectors and countries and divided
into national and international levels (Mee 2005 ). For example, fi sheries and agriFig. 2.1 A conceptual model describing the complex primary and secondary ecosystem effects of
eutrophication in a marine area
2 Eutrophication and the Ecosystem Approach to Management: A Case Study…