Implementing a Policy-Based Marine Plan with an Adaptive Management Mindset
Presentation Abstract
Adaptive management is a structured process to managing environmental resources that makes explicit the objectives of management, the critical uncertainties impeding management, and how information should be gathered, assessed, and used to improve management. So how can adaptive management inform the implementation of policy-based marine plans? On the central coast of British Columbia, we employed a structured process to uncover the greatest uncertainties related to understanding how environmental conditions within Protection Management Zones (PMZs) compare with the objectives in the Marine Plan Partnership’s Central Coast Marine Plan, and how human activities are affecting those conditions. To do so we examined the objectives of each of the PMZs, the types of human activities permitted in each of the PMZs, how existing monitoring efforts could inform understanding of whether the objectives are being met, and whether the human activities that are occurring are consistent the marine plan. This highlighted types of monitoring and places where existing monitoring efforts are not sufficient to provide needed information to understand the effectiveness of the marine plan. Using information about these critical uncertainties, we developed monitoring recommendations and detailed how monitoring outcomes could be used to highlight ways that the policy-based plan could better be implemented or ways it should be updated.
Session Title
Building the bridge between science and policy making to facilitate the protection, recovery and restoration of the Salish Sea
Conference Track
Ecosystem-Based Management, Science & Policy
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2020 : Online)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
2020_abstractID_5122
Start Date
21-4-2020 9:00 AM
End Date
22-4-2020 4:45 PM
Genre/Form
presentations (communicative events)
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Adaptive natural resource management--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Marine parks and reserves--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)--Management; Marine spatial planning--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Implementing a Policy-Based Marine Plan with an Adaptive Management Mindset
Adaptive management is a structured process to managing environmental resources that makes explicit the objectives of management, the critical uncertainties impeding management, and how information should be gathered, assessed, and used to improve management. So how can adaptive management inform the implementation of policy-based marine plans? On the central coast of British Columbia, we employed a structured process to uncover the greatest uncertainties related to understanding how environmental conditions within Protection Management Zones (PMZs) compare with the objectives in the Marine Plan Partnership’s Central Coast Marine Plan, and how human activities are affecting those conditions. To do so we examined the objectives of each of the PMZs, the types of human activities permitted in each of the PMZs, how existing monitoring efforts could inform understanding of whether the objectives are being met, and whether the human activities that are occurring are consistent the marine plan. This highlighted types of monitoring and places where existing monitoring efforts are not sufficient to provide needed information to understand the effectiveness of the marine plan. Using information about these critical uncertainties, we developed monitoring recommendations and detailed how monitoring outcomes could be used to highlight ways that the policy-based plan could better be implemented or ways it should be updated.
