Ecosystem-Based Management, Ecosystem Services and Aquatic Biodiversity Theory, Tools and Applications

• Other Authors: O'Higgins, Timothy G. (Editor), Lago, Manuel (Editor), DeWitt, Theodore H. (Editor)
• Format: Electronic Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Springer Nature 2020
• Subjects: Ecological science, the Biosphere; Biodiversity; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Ecosystems; Freshwater and Marine Ecology; Aquatic Biodiversity; Azores; Danube River; Ecosystem Based Management; Ecosystem Services; Mediterranean Biosphere Reserve; Vouga Estuary; Hydrobiology
• Online Access: DOAB: download the publication; DOAB: description of the publication

Aquatic ecosystems are rich in biodiversity and home to a diverse array of species and habitats, providing a wide variety of benefits to human beings. Many of these valuable ecosystems are at risk of being irreversibly damaged by human activities and pressures, including pollution, contamination, invasive species, overfishing and climate change. Such pressures threaten the sustainability of these ecosystems, their provision of ecosystem services and ultimately human well-being. Ecosystem-based management (EBM) is now widely considered the most promising paradigm for balancing sustainable development and biodiversity protection, and various international strategies and conventions have championed the EBM cause and the inclusion of ecosystem services in decision-making. This open access book introduces the essential concepts and principles required to implement ecosystem-based management, detailing tools and techniques, and describing the application of these concepts and tools to a broad range of aquatic ecosystems, from the shores of Lough Erne in Northern Ireland to the estuaries of the US Pacific Northwest and the tropical Mekong Delta.