Using ecological thresholds to inform resource management: current options and future possibilities
In the face of growing human impacts on ecosystems, scientists and managers recognize the need to better understand thresholds and nonlinear dynamics in ecological systems to help set management targets. However, our understanding of the factors that drive threshold dynamics, and when and how rapidl...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2015-11-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fmars.2015.00095/full |
| _version_ | 1818887836455141376 |
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| author | Melissa M Foley Melissa M Foley Rebecca G Martone Michael D Fox Michael D Fox Carrie V Kappel Lindley A: Mease Ashley L Erickson Benjamin S Halpern Benjamin S Halpern Kimberly A Selkoe Peter eTaylor Courtney eScarborough |
| author_facet | Melissa M Foley Melissa M Foley Rebecca G Martone Michael D Fox Michael D Fox Carrie V Kappel Lindley A: Mease Ashley L Erickson Benjamin S Halpern Benjamin S Halpern Kimberly A Selkoe Peter eTaylor Courtney eScarborough |
| author_sort | Melissa M Foley |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the face of growing human impacts on ecosystems, scientists and managers recognize the need to better understand thresholds and nonlinear dynamics in ecological systems to help set management targets. However, our understanding of the factors that drive threshold dynamics, and when and how rapidly thresholds will be crossed is currently limited in many systems. In spite of these limitations, there are approaches available to practitioners today—including ecosystem monitoring, statistical methods to identify thresholds and indicators, and threshold-based adaptive management—that can be used to help avoid ecological thresholds or restore systems that have crossed them. We briefly review the current state of knowledge and then use real-world examples to demonstrate how resource managers can use available approaches to avoid crossing ecological thresholds. We also highlight new tools and indicators being developed that have the potential to enhance our ability to detect change, predict when a system is approaching an ecological threshold, or restore systems that have already crossed a tipping point. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T16:43:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c51d3b03707147b080b9c2d96c35f6ae |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-7745 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T16:43:34Z |
| publishDate | 2015-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-c51d3b03707147b080b9c2d96c35f6ae2022-12-21T20:13:43ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452015-11-01210.3389/fmars.2015.00095167911Using ecological thresholds to inform resource management: current options and future possibilitiesMelissa M Foley0Melissa M Foley1Rebecca G Martone2Michael D Fox3Michael D Fox4Carrie V Kappel5Lindley A: Mease6Ashley L Erickson7Benjamin S Halpern8Benjamin S Halpern9Kimberly A Selkoe10Peter eTaylor11Courtney eScarborough12US Geological SurveyCenter for Ocean SolutionsCenter for Ocean SolutionsCenter for Ocean SolutionsScripps Institution of OceanographyNational Center for Ecological Analysis and SynthesisCenter for Ocean SolutionsCenter for Ocean SolutionsUniversity of California Santa BarbaraImperial College LondonNational Center for Ecological Analysis and SynthesisWaterview ConsultingNational Center for Ecological Analysis and SynthesisIn the face of growing human impacts on ecosystems, scientists and managers recognize the need to better understand thresholds and nonlinear dynamics in ecological systems to help set management targets. However, our understanding of the factors that drive threshold dynamics, and when and how rapidly thresholds will be crossed is currently limited in many systems. In spite of these limitations, there are approaches available to practitioners today—including ecosystem monitoring, statistical methods to identify thresholds and indicators, and threshold-based adaptive management—that can be used to help avoid ecological thresholds or restore systems that have crossed them. We briefly review the current state of knowledge and then use real-world examples to demonstrate how resource managers can use available approaches to avoid crossing ecological thresholds. We also highlight new tools and indicators being developed that have the potential to enhance our ability to detect change, predict when a system is approaching an ecological threshold, or restore systems that have already crossed a tipping point.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fmars.2015.00095/fullRecoveryresiliencetipping pointThresholdsEarly warning indicatorsNonlinear change |
| spellingShingle | Melissa M Foley Melissa M Foley Rebecca G Martone Michael D Fox Michael D Fox Carrie V Kappel Lindley A: Mease Ashley L Erickson Benjamin S Halpern Benjamin S Halpern Kimberly A Selkoe Peter eTaylor Courtney eScarborough Using ecological thresholds to inform resource management: current options and future possibilities Frontiers in Marine Science Recovery resilience tipping point Thresholds Early warning indicators Nonlinear change |
| title | Using ecological thresholds to inform resource management: current options and future possibilities |
| title_full | Using ecological thresholds to inform resource management: current options and future possibilities |
| title_fullStr | Using ecological thresholds to inform resource management: current options and future possibilities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Using ecological thresholds to inform resource management: current options and future possibilities |
| title_short | Using ecological thresholds to inform resource management: current options and future possibilities |
| title_sort | using ecological thresholds to inform resource management current options and future possibilities |
| topic | Recovery resilience tipping point Thresholds Early warning indicators Nonlinear change |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fmars.2015.00095/full |
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