Skip to content

Marine ecosystem-based management: challenges remain, yet solutions exist, and progress is occurring

Published Article

Global

Publication date: February 12, 2024

View resource

Experts report growing progress in marine ecosystem‑based management. Surveys and discussions highlight barriers such as governance, data, and communication, but also practical, achievable solutions. Many practitioners are advancing EBM unknowingly, indicating more progress than previously recognized.

Subject Tags

  • Marine protected areas
  • Coastal
  • Ecosystem management

Abstract

Marine ecosystem-based management (EBM) is recognized as the best practice for managing multiple ocean-use sectors, explicitly addressing tradeoffs among them. However, implementation is perceived as challenging and often slow. A poll of over 150 international EBM experts revealed progress, challenges, and solutions in EBM implementation worldwide. Subsequent follow-up discussions with over 40 of these experts identified remaining impediments to further implementation of EBM: governance; stakeholder engagement; support; uncertainty about and understanding of EBM; technology and data; communication and marketing. EBM is often portrayed as too complex or too challenging to be fully implemented, but we report that identifiable and achievable solutions exist (e.g., political will, persistence, capacity building, changing incentives, and strategic marketing of EBM), for most of these challenges and some solutions can solve many impediments simultaneously. Furthermore, we are advancing in key components of EBM by practitioners who may not necessarily realize they are doing so under different paradigms. These findings indicate substantial progress on EBM, more than previously reported.

Citation

Haugen, J.B., Link, J.S., Cribari, K., Bundy, A., Dickey-Collas, M., Leslie, H.M., Hall, J., Fulton, E.A., Levenson, J.J., Parsons, D.M. and Hassellöv, I.M., 2024. Marine ecosystem-based management: challenges remain, yet solutions exist, and progress is occurring. NPJ Ocean Sustainability, 3(1), p.7. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44183-024-00041-1

TNC Authors

  • Rebecca R. Gentry
    The Nature Conservancy