The Ecosystem-Based Management

System (EBMS): a formal tool for the

management of the marine
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environment

Rafael Sardá. CEAB-CSIC. Spain. sarda@ceab.csic.es

Amy Diedrich, Joaquin Tintoré. IMEDEA-CSIC. OceanBit. Spain.
ami.diedrich@uib.es ; jtintore@uib.es
Roland Cormier. Departament of Fisheries and Oceans. Canada.
Roland.Cormier@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Fisheries and Oceans Pêches et Océans

Canada Canada

The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme [FP7/2007-2013] under grant agreement number 226675
 nowledge-based Sustainable
Management for Europe’s Seas
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KnowSeas General Objective

A comprehensive scientific knowledge base and
practical guidance for the application of the
Ecosystem Approach to the sustainable
development of Europe’s regional Seas.
 New Marine Environmental Policy
SEAS AND OCEANS MARINE COASTAL AREAS
Maritime Policy Marine Strategy Framework Freshwater Framework ICZM
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Green paper Directive (2008/56/EC) Directive (2000/60/EC) Recommendation

To pursuit maintenance of ecosystem integrity, and to facilitate a

sustainable use of ecosystem goods and services.

Practical mechanisms for the implementation of the “Ecosystem approach”.

Social-Ecological Systems
Social Natural
Systems Systems
Human pressures
institutions/ Ecosystem
organizations structure

pulses
Human Ecosystem Good
developments functioning Environmental
Status (GEnS)
Ecosystem goods and services
 The Ecosystem Approach (EA)
An integrated resource planning and management
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approach that recognizes the connection between
land, air and water and all living things, including
people, their activities and institutions.

Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) has been

defined as an innovative management approach to
address the challenges associated with the
emergence of the Ecosystem Approach concept
(1)developing an ecosystem-based vision and plan;
(2)incorporating ecosystem science and information into management
decisions;
(3)creating accountability and adaptive management for executing
ecosystem plans;
(4)addressing cumulative ecosystem impacts within and across
management sectors; and
(5)making tradeoffs among competing and/or conflicting ocean uses.
 How to bring the EA into practice?

We propose to adapt a well know managerial

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standard to the principles of the EA, formalising
this idea into the Ecosystem-Based Management
System (EBMS)

Policy Scientific-base
compliance Commitment knowledge

Environmental Environmental
Policy Objectives
Environmental
Programme
PLAN
Revision ACT
Organisation
and people
Audit
validation
procedure DO Monitoring,
measurements,
corrective and
preventive
actions, and
Audit
CHECK records

Document and
System operational
documentation control
 How to bring the EA into practice?
EMS
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Mission statement
A formal structured framework of
policies, procedures and practices
to manage and reduce the
organization environmental impacts.
4.1.- General structure.
4.2.- Environmental policy.
4.3.- Planning.
4.3.1.- Environmental key aspects.
4.3.2.- Legal and other requirements.
4.3.3.- Environmental objectives
and targets.
4.3.4.- EnvironmentalManagement
Programs.
4.4.- Implementation and Operation.
4.4.1.- Structure and responsibilities.
4.4.2.- Training, awareness, and
professional competence.
4.4.3.- Communication
4.4.4.- EMS Documentation
4.4.5.- EMS DocumentControl
4.4.6.- EMS OperationalControl
4.4.7.- Emergency preparednessand
response.
4.5.- Checking and Corrective measures
4.5.1.- Monitoring amnd measurement
4.5.2.- Non-conformanceand
coorective and preventive actions.
4.5.3.- EMS Records
4.5.4.- EMS Audits
4.6.- Management Review
EBMS
A formal structured framework of
policies, procedures and practices
to reach a Good Environmental
Status of the marine environment.
4.1- General Structure.
4.2.- Vision (Good Environmental Status).
4.3.- Planning.
4.3.1.- Social-Ecological key aspects.
4.3.2.- National and International requirements.
4.3.3.- Management Plan.
4.3.4.- Management Programs.
- collaborative agreements,
- concerted actions,
- best management practices,
. marine protected areas,
- regulatory policy alignment,…
4.4.- Implementation and Operation.
4.4.1.- Structure and responsibilities.
4.4.2.- Capacity building
4.4.3.- Communication
4.4.4.- EBMS Documentation
4.4.5.- EBMS Document Control
4.4.6.- EBMS Operational Control
4.4.7.- Vulnerability assessment and
response.
4.5.- Checking and Corrective measures
4.5.1.- Monitorization
4.5.2.- Conflict resolution capacity
4.5.3.- EBMS Records
4.5.4.- EBMS Audits
4.6.- Management Review (updating the vision)
 The EBMS: prerequisites
Vision
(GEnS)
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Ecosystem
Overview &
Assessment
Report

(1)Delimit precisely the Social-Ecological System (SES) under

management;
(2) Construct an Effective Governance Structure (EGS);
(3) Made an Ecosystem Overview & Sustainability
Assessment Report; Effective Governance.
- Trasparency
(4) Set your vision, the Good Environmental - Efficiency
- Responsability
Status (GEnS) of your SES. Integrated conectivity
(5) Set up your EBMS. Ecosystem-based approach
Continuos improvement
- Knowledge
- Adaptivity
- Convenience
Participation
 The EBMS: structure
Vision
(GEnS)

g e men t
a
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tive M a n
Adap policy
Vision
(GEnS)
Ecosystem policy
Overview & Vision
Assessment policy (GEnS)
Report Vision
(GEnS)

Social-
Ecological
key issues
Goals,target
s
and
objectives
Revision
Environment
al
program

Structure
Audit

Non- Training
conformanc
es
Monitoring
and Operational
measuremen control
System
t documentation
MANAGERIAL PILLAR

Indicators

GIS Public
Database participation

INFORMATION PILLAR PARTICIPATORY PILLAR

 The EBMS: special tools

Although many tools can be incorporated into the Ecosystem-

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Based Management System (EBMS), a group of them are basic
tools to support the system. These include a decision making
tool (DEMA tool) based on risk analysis, with a conflict
resolution tool inside (CORE tool), a information factory tool
(GIS-Seas tool), and a capacity building tool (ESCA tool).

DEMA tool GIS-SEAS tool ESCA tool

nowSeas.com The EBMS: the DEMA tool

A tool for Decision-Making (DEMA)

Risk Identification
Events/Hazards States

Risk Communication
Risk Assessment
Release assessment Exposure assessment

Risk estimates

Risk prioritization

Risk Management
Ecosystem Decissions and monitoring

Stock-taking policy
overview
nowSeas.com The EBMS: the DEMA tool

Risk level event, state # (from a to z) High Moderate Low Negligible No measurement

Each identified event, state (from a to z) is analysed under different effect criteriua
Efect categories
Aspects … (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) ( g) (…) Total

#1
#2

Ecosystem
#3
#4
#5

Stock-taking #6
#7 policy
#8

overview
Final initial prioritization #…
nowSeas.com The EBMS: the DEMA tool

Ecosystem service
PHASE 1 . Analysis of pressures provision evaluatio
GES indicators
Identify events
Describe events Describe states
PHASE 2 . Qualitative risk assessment
Risk Assessment
YES
Low risk? completed
NO

Quantitative risk assessment

PHASE 3 . Initial prioritization

Identify alternatives
Alternatives ( screen proposals )
YES
Implement inmediately?
NO
Evaluate socialcosts and benefits
PHASE 4 .
Decide what to doNO
Does benefit exceed cost?
Ecosystem YES

Stock-taking policy
Prioritization

overview
nowSeas.com The EBMS: the DEMA tool

DEMA will be active during all the cycles in

the use of the managerial framework,
however at the very beginning two aspects
need to be specifically considered; the risk
of an internal managerial failure due to a
non working EGS, and the ellaboration of a
marine spatial planning for the SES under
Ecosystem management
Stock-taking policy
overview
nowSeas.com The EBMS: the GIS-Seas tool

An information factory tool to help

Decision-Making (GIS-Seas)

Modelling and mapping, using Geographic Information Systems

(GIS), of the Drivers Pressures States, Welfare and Response
indicators in a particular location provides the basis for informed
decision making.

Ecosystem
Stock-taking policy
overview
nowSeas.com The EBMS: the GIS-Seas tool

Information Factory
Web acces information

Web tool

Core data and metadata interface

Data warehouse –Databases

GIS layers plus indicators (DPSWR)

Web acces - upload/download

See data (layer on/off)

Ecosystem
Stock-taking policy
overview
nowSeas.com The EBMS: the GIS-Seas tool

European Seas Smart Observatories

Ecosystem
Stock-taking policy
overview
nowSeas.com The EBMS: the ESCA tool

An enhancement capacity building

tool to help managers (ESCA)

Material produced during the project (deliverables,

case studies, reports, presentations,...
e-learning (heritage lectures)

Ecosystem
Stock-taking policy
overview
 Conclusions

The EBMS is intended to be an standard

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tool for the management of the marine
environment

It introduces the Ecosystem approach into

practice;
It standardised a common set of tools,
introducing a common language for scaling
problems; and
It constitute an easy way for knowlkedge
transfer and adpative management.