Using the Concepts and Tools of Social Ecological Systems and Ecosystem Services to Advance the Practice of Ecosystem-Based Management
Tim O’Higgins, Theodore H. DeWitt, Manuel Jesús Dolz Lago
Abstract
Environmental problems are very often wicked problems: they are persistent, they have no clear end, and involve moral choices resulting in winners and losers. Just as the ecological and biological elements of these problems are dynamic and complex, so the social and political elements are also constantly changing and do not follow linear patterns. Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) is an approach developed to work on wicked problems that recognizes social-ecological systems and the need to incorporate systems thinking into natural resource management. In this chapter we describe the scope and scale of this book and briefly discuss its four sections: We then go on to identify some of the main lessons learned, challenges and the main needs required to further advance the applications of EBM. We conclude with an exhortation for readers to learn from our experience, to use and adapt the tools and techniques we present here and a call for continued international collaboration.