1. The ecosystem approach is a
strategy for the integrated management of land, water and living resources that
promotes conservation and sustainable use in an equitable way. Thus, the
application of the ecosystem approach will help to reach a balance of the three
objectives of the Convention: conservation; sustainable use; and the fair and
equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic
resources.
2. An ecosystem approach is
based on the application of appropriate scientific methodologies focused on
levels of biological organization, which encompass the essential structure,
processes, functions and interactions among organisms and their environment. It
recognizes that humans, with their cultural diversity, are an integral
component of many ecosystems.
3. This focus on structure,
processes, functions and interactions is consistent with the definition of
"ecosystem" provided in Article 2 of the Convention on Biological
Diversity:
"'Ecosystem' means a
dynamic complex of plant, animal and micro-organism communities and their
non-living environment interacting as a functional unit."
This definition does not
specify any particular spatial unit or scale, in contrast to the Convention's
definition of "habitat". Thus, the term "ecosystem" does
not, necessarily, correspond to the terms "biome" or "ecological
zone", but can refer to any functioning unit at any scale. Indeed, the
scale of analysis and action should be determined by the problem being
addressed. It could, for example, be a grain of soil, a pond, a forest, a biome
or the entire biosphere.
4. The ecosystem approach
requires adaptive management to deal with the complex and dynamic nature of
ecosystems and the absence of complete knowledge or understanding of their
functioning. Ecosystem processes are often non-linear, and the outcome of such
processes often shows time-lags. The result is discontinuities, leading to
surprise and uncertainty. Management must be adaptive in order to be able to
respond to such uncertainties and contain elements of
"learning-by-doing" or research feedback. Measures may need to be
taken even when some cause-and-effect relationships are not yet fully
established scientifically.
5. The ecosystem approach does
not preclude other management and conservation approaches, such as biosphere
reserves, protected areas, and single-species conservation programmes, as well
as other approaches carried out under existing national policy and legislative
frameworks, but could, rather, integrate all these approaches and other
methodologies to deal with complex situations. There is no single way to
implement the ecosystem approach, as it depends on local, provincial, national,
regional or global conditions. Indeed, there are many ways in which ecosystem
approaches may be used as the framework for delivering the objectives of the
Convention in practice.
TWELVE PRINCIPLES OF
ECOSYSTEMS APPROACH
The following 12 principles
are complementary and interlinked.
Principle 1:The objectives of
management of land, water and living resources are a matter of societal
choices.
Different sectors of society
view ecosystems in terms of their own economic, cultural and society needs.
Indigenous peoples and other local communities living on the land are important
stakeholders and their rights and interests should be recognized. Both cultural
and biological diversity are central components of the ecosystem approach, and
management should take this into account. Societal choices should be expressed
as clearly as possible. Ecosystems should be managed for their intrinsic values
and for the tangible or intangible benefits for humans, in a fair and equitable
way.
Principle 2: Management should
be decentralized to the lowest appropriate level.
Decentralized systems may lead
to greater efficiency, effectiveness and equity. Management should involve all
stakeholders and balance local interests with the wider public interest. The
closer management is to the ecosystem, the greater the responsibility,
ownership, accountability, participation, and use of local knowledge.
Principle 3: Ecosystem
managers should consider the effects (actual or potential) of their activities
on adjacent and other ecosystems.
Management interventions in
ecosystems often have unknown or unpredictable effects on other ecosystems;
therefore, possible impacts need careful consideration and analysis. This may
require new arrangements or ways of organization for institutions involved in
decision-making to make, if necessary, appropriate compromises.
Principle 4: Recognizing
potential gains from management, there is usually a need to understand and
manage the ecosystem in an economic context. Any such ecosystem-management
programme should:
Reduce those market
distortions that adversely affect biological diversity;
Align incentives to promote
biodiversity conservation and sustainable use;
Internalize costs and benefits
in the given ecosystem to the extent feasible.
The greatest threat to
biological diversity lies in its replacement by alternative systems of land
use. This often arises through market distortions, which undervalue natural
systems and populations and provide perverse incentives and subsidies to favor
the conversion of land to less diverse systems.
Often those who benefit from
conservation do not pay the costs associated with conservation and, similarly,
those who generate environmental costs (e.g. pollution) escape responsibility.
Alignment of incentives allows those who control the resource to benefit and
ensures that those who generate environmental costs will pay.
Principle 5: Conservation of
ecosystem structure and functioning, in order to maintain ecosystem services,
should be a priority target of the ecosystem approach.
Ecosystem functioning and
resilience depends on a dynamic relationship within species, among species and
between species and their abiotic environment, as well as the physical and
chemical interactions within the environment. The conservation and, where
appropriate, restoration of these interactions and processes is of greater
significance for the long-term maintenance of biological diversity than simply
protection of species.
Principle 6: Ecosystem must be
managed within the limits of their functioning.
In considering the likelihood
or ease of attaining the management objectives, attention should be given to
the environmental conditions that limit natural productivity, ecosystem
structure, functioning and diversity. The limits to ecosystem functioning may
be affected to different degrees by temporary, unpredictable of artificially
maintained conditions and, accordingly, management should be appropriately
cautious.
Principle 7: The ecosystem
approach should be undertaken at the appropriate spatial and temporal scales.
The approach should be bounded
by spatial and temporal scales that are appropriate to the objectives.
Boundaries for management will be defined operationally by users, managers,
scientists and indigenous and local peoples. Connectivity between areas should
be promoted where necessary. The ecosystem approach is based upon the
hierarchical nature of biological diversity characterized by the interaction
and integration of genes, species and ecosystems.
Principle 8: Recognizing the
varying temporal scales and lag-effects that characterize ecosystem processes,
objectives for ecosystem management should be set for the long term.
Ecosystem processes are
characterized by varying temporal scales and lag-effects. This inherently
conflicts with the tendency of humans to favour short-term gains and immediate
benefits over future ones.
Principle 9: Management must
recognize the change is inevitable.
Ecosystems change, including
species composition and population abundance. Hence, management should adapt to
the changes. Apart from their inherent dynamics of change, ecosystems are beset
by a complex of uncertainties and potential "surprises" in the human,
biological and environmental realms. Traditional disturbance regimes may be
important for ecosystem structure and functioning, and may need to be
maintained or restored. The ecosystem approach must utilize adaptive management
in order to anticipate and cater for such changes and events and should be
cautious in making any decision that may foreclose options, but, at the same
time, consider mitigating actions to cope with long-term changes such as
climate change.
Principle 10: The ecosystem
approach should seek the appropriate balance between, and integration of,
conservation and use of biological diversity.
Biological diversity is
critical both for its intrinsic value and because of the key role it plays in
providing the ecosystem and other services upon which we all ultimately depend.
There has been a tendency in the past to manage components of biological
diversity either as protected or non-protected. There is a need for a shift to
more flexible situations, where conservation and use are seen in context and
the full range of measures is applied in a continuum from strictly protected to
human-made ecosystems
Principle 11: The ecosystem
approach should consider all forms of relevant information, including
scientific and indigenous and local knowledge, innovations and practices.
Information from all sources
is critical to arriving at effective ecosystem management strategies. A much
better knowledge of ecosystem functions and the impact of human use is
desirable. All relevant information from any concerned area should be shared
with all stakeholders and actors, taking into account, inter alia, any decision
to be taken under Article 8(j) of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Assumptions behind proposed management decisions should be made explicit and
checked against available knowledge and views of stakeholders.
Principle 12: The ecosystem
approach should involve all relevant sectors of society and scientific
disciplines.
Most problems of
biological-diversity management are complex, with many interactions,
side-effects and implications, and therefore should involve the necessary
expertise and stakeholders at the local, national, regional and international
level, as appropriate.
Source: https://www.cbd.int/ecosystem/principles.shtml
