Ecosystem management: implications and opportunities of a new paradigm

Abstract

Resource management is undergoing a shift in paradigms. Advances in our understanding of how ecosystem function combined with changes in society's expectations are rapidly changing the way we perceive, study, and manage our resources. Contributions from the relatively new, and broadly integrative, fields of landscape ecology and conservation biology emphasize the importance of spatial context in planning and managing (Crow 1990; Bunnell and Kremsater 1994). Management emphasis is on the maintenance of large, dynamic systems. Central to this shift in paradigm is the concept of "ecosystem management'. The term is increasingly being used by scientists, managers, policy makers and the general public, but not always with the same meaning. Several authors provide historical reviews of the concept's development from different perspectives (Franklin 1994; Grumbine 1994; Jensen and Everett 1994). This paper examines the development of the concept, its implications, and the opportunities within a Canadian context. -from Authors