267
14 Approaches and Tools for Examining Governability
coverage of these tools. The following aims to illustrate the breadth of what they
cover, and to emphasize some that may not be normally thought of as governancerelated tools.
Oceanographic surveys from research vessels are conventionally used to collect
in-situ data about the ocean. Through them, scientists have been able to learn about
the bio-physical properties of the sea and diversity of ocean life. Today, with the use
of satellite imagery, advanced observation systems and the availability of modern
geo-referencing tools, much more can be learned and spatially displayed. These
modern technologies can be used to describe coastal morphology, monitor oceanographic conditions, such as temperature, salinity and waves, and predict effects of
phenomena like tsunamis. Similar technology is used to assess biological oceanographic characteristics of the oceans, such as primary productivity or red tide occurrence, and to track the movement of mega-fauna like sharks, marine mammals, sea
turtles and tuna. For the bottom of the ocean, technology like multi-beam sonar and
remotely operated vehicles are being employed for habitat mapping and the assessment of aquatic life. Findings from the various monitoring and assessment systems
are often reproduced in the form of maps, many of which are interactive, real-time,
and offer multi-dimensional visualization. Aided by these modern tools and techniques, our knowledge about the diversity, complexity, dynamics and scale of the
physical dimension of the natural system-to-be-governed has greatly increased,
especially in the highly industrialized parts of the world.
The ecological aspects of the aquatic ecosystems are generally well studied
with the long-established methods such as fi sheries surveys and biological sampling for population dynamics and fi sheries stock assessment. Life history, trophodynamics and food web studies are common and are important for ecosystem
analysis and for ecosystem-based management. These methods make it possible to
know distribution and ecology of species in marine ecosystems. Modeling tools
such as Ecopath and the dynamic variation Ecosim (Pauly et al. 2000 ) are employed,
not only to describe the connectivity of these species, but also to explore policy
options through scenarios analysis. Decision-support systems like Atlantis (Fulton
et al. 2004 ) are tools that scientists employ to help understand system complexity.
Both approaches and other ecosystem modeling exercises are particularly useful to
account for both the unknown and the uncertainty embedded in the natural system
(e.g. Bundy and Fanning 2005 ) . Increasingly, however, it is being demonstrated
that the inclusion of stakeholders in the collection of information on resources and
their ecosystems can be valuable. The development of indicators has also helped
facilitate the participation of resource users in scienti fi c research. All these
approaches and tools add to the understanding of the biodiversity, relationships and
dependency among species and on habitats, the dynamism of the system, and the
spatial extent of life in the oceans.
In addition to scienti fi c research, alternative ways of gaining information about
the natural system include the use of local and/or traditional ecological knowledge
(LEK and TEK). It has become widely accepted that resource users know a great deal
about the resource system they depend on, which can be of high value for management.
14 Approaches and Tools for Examining Governability
coverage of these tools. The following aims to illustrate the breadth of what they
cover, and to emphasize some that may not be normally thought of as governancerelated tools.
Oceanographic surveys from research vessels are conventionally used to collect
in-situ data about the ocean. Through them, scientists have been able to learn about
the bio-physical properties of the sea and diversity of ocean life. Today, with the use
of satellite imagery, advanced observation systems and the availability of modern
geo-referencing tools, much more can be learned and spatially displayed. These
modern technologies can be used to describe coastal morphology, monitor oceanographic conditions, such as temperature, salinity and waves, and predict effects of
phenomena like tsunamis. Similar technology is used to assess biological oceanographic characteristics of the oceans, such as primary productivity or red tide occurrence, and to track the movement of mega-fauna like sharks, marine mammals, sea
turtles and tuna. For the bottom of the ocean, technology like multi-beam sonar and
remotely operated vehicles are being employed for habitat mapping and the assessment of aquatic life. Findings from the various monitoring and assessment systems
are often reproduced in the form of maps, many of which are interactive, real-time,
and offer multi-dimensional visualization. Aided by these modern tools and techniques, our knowledge about the diversity, complexity, dynamics and scale of the
physical dimension of the natural system-to-be-governed has greatly increased,
especially in the highly industrialized parts of the world.
The ecological aspects of the aquatic ecosystems are generally well studied
with the long-established methods such as fi sheries surveys and biological sampling for population dynamics and fi sheries stock assessment. Life history, trophodynamics and food web studies are common and are important for ecosystem
analysis and for ecosystem-based management. These methods make it possible to
know distribution and ecology of species in marine ecosystems. Modeling tools
such as Ecopath and the dynamic variation Ecosim (Pauly et al. 2000 ) are employed,
not only to describe the connectivity of these species, but also to explore policy
options through scenarios analysis. Decision-support systems like Atlantis (Fulton
et al. 2004 ) are tools that scientists employ to help understand system complexity.
Both approaches and other ecosystem modeling exercises are particularly useful to
account for both the unknown and the uncertainty embedded in the natural system
(e.g. Bundy and Fanning 2005 ) . Increasingly, however, it is being demonstrated
that the inclusion of stakeholders in the collection of information on resources and
their ecosystems can be valuable. The development of indicators has also helped
facilitate the participation of resource users in scienti fi c research. All these
approaches and tools add to the understanding of the biodiversity, relationships and
dependency among species and on habitats, the dynamism of the system, and the
spatial extent of life in the oceans.
In addition to scienti fi c research, alternative ways of gaining information about
the natural system include the use of local and/or traditional ecological knowledge
(LEK and TEK). It has become widely accepted that resource users know a great deal
about the resource system they depend on, which can be of high value for management.