A complex systems approach for multiobjective water quality regulation on managed wetland landscapes
Abstract Management of wetland ecosystems that are tightly coupled with human systems typically requires balancing multiple objectives to ensure that a range of ecosystem services are provided for the benefit of society. We describe how adopting a complex systems approach may provide managers with t...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2016-06-01
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| Series: | Ecosphere |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.1363 |
| _version_ | 1818066859633672192 |
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| author | Lael Parrott Nigel Quinn |
| author_facet | Lael Parrott Nigel Quinn |
| author_sort | Lael Parrott |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Management of wetland ecosystems that are tightly coupled with human systems typically requires balancing multiple objectives to ensure that a range of ecosystem services are provided for the benefit of society. We describe how adopting a complex systems approach may provide managers with the appropriate conceptual tools to achieve social and ecological objectives in a multifunctional wetland landscape. We illustrate the applicability of the approach using the Grasslands Ecological Area (GEA) in California as a case study. Human intervention has shaped and reshaped the GEA over the past century, affecting the ability of the landscape to provide ecosystem services. Ecological disaster in the 1980s precipitated transformative change in the management system toward an approach that adopts many of the recommended actions for complexity. Present‐day management, which balances multiple social and ecological objectives, has led to improved water quality, restoration of wetland habitats, and a general increase in system complexity at the landscape scale. New research and real‐time monitoring systems facilitate adaptive management and heterogeneous responses of wetland management entities. We argue that taking a complex systems approach to management in the GEA provides a common, and inclusive, conceptual model for all stakeholders and may lead to a more sustainable and ecologically resilient landscape over the long term. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T15:14:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a48ed398f3854cb08fdcb9c310a25fb0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2150-8925 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T15:14:29Z |
| publishDate | 2016-06-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-a48ed398f3854cb08fdcb9c310a25fb02022-12-22T01:43:49ZengWileyEcosphere2150-89252016-06-0176n/an/a10.1002/ecs2.1363A complex systems approach for multiobjective water quality regulation on managed wetland landscapesLael Parrott0Nigel Quinn1The Okanagan Institute for Biodiversity, Resilience, and Ecosystem Services (BRAES) The University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus 1177 Research Road Kelowna British Columbia V1V 1V1 CanadaHydroEcological Engineering Advanced Decision Support Berkeley National Laboratory 1 Cyclotron Road Building 64‐209 Berkeley California 94720 USAAbstract Management of wetland ecosystems that are tightly coupled with human systems typically requires balancing multiple objectives to ensure that a range of ecosystem services are provided for the benefit of society. We describe how adopting a complex systems approach may provide managers with the appropriate conceptual tools to achieve social and ecological objectives in a multifunctional wetland landscape. We illustrate the applicability of the approach using the Grasslands Ecological Area (GEA) in California as a case study. Human intervention has shaped and reshaped the GEA over the past century, affecting the ability of the landscape to provide ecosystem services. Ecological disaster in the 1980s precipitated transformative change in the management system toward an approach that adopts many of the recommended actions for complexity. Present‐day management, which balances multiple social and ecological objectives, has led to improved water quality, restoration of wetland habitats, and a general increase in system complexity at the landscape scale. New research and real‐time monitoring systems facilitate adaptive management and heterogeneous responses of wetland management entities. We argue that taking a complex systems approach to management in the GEA provides a common, and inclusive, conceptual model for all stakeholders and may lead to a more sustainable and ecologically resilient landscape over the long term.https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.1363complex systemscoupled human–environment systemsecosystem managementecosystem servicessustainabilitywater quality |
| spellingShingle | Lael Parrott Nigel Quinn A complex systems approach for multiobjective water quality regulation on managed wetland landscapes Ecosphere complex systems coupled human–environment systems ecosystem management ecosystem services sustainability water quality |
| title | A complex systems approach for multiobjective water quality regulation on managed wetland landscapes |
| title_full | A complex systems approach for multiobjective water quality regulation on managed wetland landscapes |
| title_fullStr | A complex systems approach for multiobjective water quality regulation on managed wetland landscapes |
| title_full_unstemmed | A complex systems approach for multiobjective water quality regulation on managed wetland landscapes |
| title_short | A complex systems approach for multiobjective water quality regulation on managed wetland landscapes |
| title_sort | complex systems approach for multiobjective water quality regulation on managed wetland landscapes |
| topic | complex systems coupled human–environment systems ecosystem management ecosystem services sustainability water quality |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.1363 |
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