An Adaptive Ecosystem Approach to Monitoring

A synopsis of a thesis

by

Michelle Boyle

We are currently subjecting the environment to enormous and increasing stress from pollution, resource exploitation, population growth and over-consumption. Through complex processes and feedbacks these pressures significantly influence and permanently alter the Earth's fundamental processes. In effect, we undermine human health and even our own existence (along with all other species that inhabit this planet).

This situation has arisen largely due to environmental management activities (based on an attempt to predict and control nature) that do not appreciate the complexity of the Earth's ecosystems. The challenge is to develop a practical approach to managing ecosystems that takes into consideration a rapidly changing context, the principle of irreducible uncertainty, and the need to include stakeholders in the decision making process.

This site proposes an "adaptive ecosystem approach" that attempts to meet this challenge. You will find the main points of this approach below.

• the adaptive ecosystem approach
• conceptual model of ecosystem dynamics
• monitoring under the adaptive ecosystem approach
• indicator development
• case study: developing policy performance indicators for OMNR
• What's new? convential vs adaptive approaches
• further information and literature

More detailed information is available in pdf format.