Browsing by Author "Szaro, R. C."

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • The ecosystem approach: Science and information management issues, gaps and needs
    Szaro, R. C.; Berc, J.; Cameron, S.; Cordle, S.; Crosby, M.; Martin, L.; Norton, D.; O'Malley, R.; Ruark, G. (Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier Science B.V., 1998)
    Changing public expectations and increased public involvement have challenged traditional management policies and practices. And with these challenges, the need for scientific information as a foundation for resource management decisions continues to increase dramatically especially when policy and management decisions are highly dependent on the quality and quantity of the available information and science. To facilitate this, the interface between social, economic, physical, biological, and ecological models must be improved. New and existing research results have to be assembled and formatted into packages that are usable by managers and decision-makers so that they are able to reasonably predict the future condition of resources resulting from management options. This study identified several key gaps in the science base needed for the implementation of ecosystem management including: ecology on multiple scales, multiple species science, monitoring and evaluation, 'benchmarks' of ecosystem condition, socioeconomic sciences and valuation, human dimensions of natural resource use, ecological restoration technology development, quantifying uncertainty and assessing risk, modeling, and the adaptive management process. However, the major lessons learned through this study are that, whereas it may be important to identify key scientific gaps, the barriers and their solutions may be more social or institutional than scientific in nature.
  • Implementing ecosystem management: A framework for remotely sensed information at multiple scales
    Sexton, W. T.; Dull, C. W.; Szaro, R. C. (Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier Science B.V., 1998)
    Many of the common tools for developing information and implementing activities for ecosystem management are based on a multi-scale framework. This paper highlights the major elements of scale and level associated with an ecosystem management approach from two differing perspectives. The first summarizes a general framework for concepts recognizing multiple scales in four specific dimensions: biological, temporal, social and spatial. The second summarizes a current partnership among several US Government agencies to utilize remote sensing technologies as a common basis for the development of certain types of scale-dependent information for ecosystem management. Scale and level in ecological contexts are recognized as continuous variables, highly related to the landscapes, features and relationships of a particular situation, as well as the specific interests of the observer. An initial simplification of scale, as related to remotely sensed data, to support the continuing evolution of ecosystem management is a necessary step in developing common understanding and information across large areas.
  • Implementing ecosystem management: Using multiple boundaries for organizing information
    Sexton, W. T.; Szaro, R. C. (Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier Science B.V., 1998)
    Implementing ecosystem management requires learning to work with multiple factors, at multiple scales, using multiple boundaries and borders for organizing information. Traditional approaches often oversimplified information collection and analyses by relying on a limited set of classifications and information constructs. Experience has consistently shown that attempting to constrain analyses and assessments to one or a few organizing systems and related boundaries results in less than satisfactory information to support an ecological approach. Debates over which boundaries or borders are best and should therefore be the organizing device for ecosystem management are not useful or constructive. A more useful question is which set ecological approaches and their related boundaries provide the best information to address the resource issues at a particular time and place. Multiple boundaries, scales and factors increase the complexity of ecosystem management, but also represent an essential component for improved understanding of the sustainable management of lands and resources.
  • The role of fish, wildlife and plant research in ecosystem management
    Loeb, S. C.; Lennartz, M. R.; Szaro, R. C. (Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier Science B.V., 1998)
    This paper examines the concepts of ecology, ecosystems, and ecosystem management and then further examines the role of fish, wildlife, and plant ecology research in ecosystem management, past, present, and future. It is often assumed that research in support of ecosystem management will entail comprehensive studies of entire ecosystems whereas research programs that focus on one species do not constitute ecosystem management level research. The supposed dichotomy between single species and ecosystem level approaches has been the focus of considerable debate. However, this is a false dichotomy and ecosystem studies and single-species studies simply represent two ends of a spectrum of approaches for understanding ecological processes. Given that the level of scientific investigation (e.g., individual species, community, or ecosystem) does not differentiate ecosystem management research from more traditional approaches, what are the distinguishing features? Ecosystem management research is broader in scope than more traditional ecological studies. A greater emphasis is also placed on integrating results of various studies and programs to understand larger scale interactions and the structure and function of ecosystems. Model building also plays a greater role in ecosystem management research efforts as a means of not only understanding ecosystem processes but also as a means of generating hypotheses. Although the primary responsibilities of research and management are different, there is much room for interaction and integration of functions. Consequently, adaptive management has become an important part of ecosystem management and will likely become a larger part of basic research programs. However, adaptive management experiments should not be the endpoint. Instead, results from adaptive management studies should be used to generate hypotheses that can be tested with more traditional and rigorous scientific methods. As managers begin to deal at larger spatial and longer temporal scales changes in the end-products of research will be necessary. The task of assessing present as well as future conditions will greatly increase the need for user-friendly analytical tools (e.g., simulation models) that allow managers to visualize conditions on a large scale. A balance of adaptive management and traditional experimental designs will ultimately lead to better models of management.