Next Steps in the Application of the Ecosystem Approach
The Ecosystem Approach process is guiding Mediterranean countries towards better assessment capability. Ecological objec- tives, operational objectives, and indicators, have all been identi- fied. Once baselines have been established, mechanisms can be put into place to derive trend information. Consideration should also be given to establishing early warning systems that could alert governments and institutions when species or ecosystems approach critical thresholds, where such thresholds have been determined. A crucial next step for Contracting Parties will be discussing and adopting methodologies for determining targets, so that management can be as effective as possible.
Cause and effect must be considered in order to link particular human activities to documented environmental outcomes. For example, if chlorophyll-a production is heightened in an area, it will be important to determine if this is caused by nutrient load- ing from land-based sources or by changes at sea. Knowing the drivers behind impacts is essential to crafting an effective man- agement response.
A systematic and optimised monitoring program should look at both environmental quality or ecological status and management effectiveness. In other words, information should also be collected on what sort of management exists, whether regulations are be- ing enforced, and the level to which there is local compliance with regulations. The lack of this sort of information hinders develop- ment of effective management responses. Optimally, monitoring would provide the data needed in the future for both environmen- tal assessment (whether ecological objectives are being met) and management effectiveness assessment (whether management objectives are being met). Thought should be given to optimis- ing data compatibility between the environmental monitoring stream and the management evaluation stream. Both information streams should feed the Ecosystem Approach process.
Once targets for the different indicators are agreed the crafting of adequate management responses will be crucial in achiev- ing the objectives of the Ecosystem Approach. These manage- ment measures can be addressed directly to curve the pressures brought by the different human activities or to the driver bring- ing the pressures to levels allowing the achievement of the ob- jectives. Obviously the stakeholders and the society in general will play a central role in modulating these drivers. The use of
the Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) approach could complement other management tools in order to address discharges from land-based sources and activities, extraction of non-living resources, and fisheries and mariculture. Consequent- ly, SCP could have a relevant contribution to the achievement of the ecological objectives linked firstly to eutrophication and contaminants, and secondly to the seafloor integrity, biological diversity and marine food webs.
With the complete application of the Ecosystem Approach the management of human activities in the Mediterranean will even- tually lead into measures that take into account the intercon- nectivity between different habitats/ecosystems (freshwater to coasts to nearshore to pelagic environments) and deal with mul- tiple pressures producing cumulative impacts over time. Given the complexities and scales, the holistic character of the Ecosys- tem Approach will allow management measures to be focused on those pressures/ impacts causing the most damage to Medi- terranean ecosystem functioning, and especially those about which measures can be taken (e.g. not much can be done about introduced species coming through the Suez Canal, but more could be done about maintaining the integrity of food webs to prevent introduced species from becoming invasive).
At some time in the future, if the full application of the Ecosys- tem Approach is achieved, sectorial management (fisheries for instance) should be influenced not only by monitoring to see if sector specific thresholds are being approached, but also by the whole integrated Ecosystem Approach framework allowing the consideration of ecosystem wide relationships and cross sectorial pressures and impacts. This should finally guide the selection of a series of sectorial management measures leading to greater benefits than those resulting from considering each sector independently.
The interconnectivity between different habitats/ecosystems, the ecosystem wide relationships and the scale of some of the major issues affecting the Mediterranean environment makes transboundary regional cooperation a must. The best hope for achieving ecosystem-based management in the Mediterranean is to have robust and systematic management within countries, but at the same time working together through the framework that the Barcelona Convention provides.
86
STATE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN MARINE AND COASTAL ENVIRONMENT