GLIN==> Survey Finds Public Outreach is Crucial for Ecosystem Management

Survey Finds Public Outreach is Crucial for Ecosystem Management

 

July 1, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

COLUMBUS, OH-In his recent Ohio Sea Grant-funded survey of aquatic ecosystem
managers, Dr. Greg Wilson, Associate Vice President at Kent State
University, found that public outreach is an essential element of protecting
an ecosystem. Using the survey results as a guide, Wilson created an
improved management model for Lake Erie that centralizes leadership and
outreach efforts.

 

"We found that educating citizens can be just as effective as passing
legislation," Wilson says. "If people are wondering about the necessity and
importance of efforts that educate the public, the answer is, Very
Important. We would say Ohio Sea Grant's outreach work performs not only an
interesting service, but an essential service for Lake Erie management."

 

The survey, which looked at Lake Erie and four other aquatic ecosystems,
found ten characteristics that successful ecosystem management plans must
include. They are:

.         Public engagement

.         Leadership

.         Communication among stakeholders

.         Incentives for collaboration

.         Diverse facilitators

.         Measurable goals

.         Science-based decisions

.         Occasionally necessary mandates

.         Adaptive planning

.         Sustainable funding

 

Several benefits grow from public engagement-people learn about how things
work, they become advocates for the work, and they can pressure legislators
to improve the ecosystem.

 

"Public engagement is a critical attribute of successful ecosystem
management so people can get educated and then help diverse groups bridge
their disconnects," Wilson says. "If people aren't up on the science or
don't have a direct connection with the environment, they're not inclined to
get involved and help preserve the ecosystem."

 

Wilson's new management model for Lake Erie proposes more mandated
parameters to create clear goals, collaborative planning, and central
leadership. He suggests that a bi-national leadership organization
facilitate the lake's management and coordinate the public outreach. The
organization would need to wield strong influence on lake management, either
by legislative mandate or voluntary public pressure.

 

The ecosystems Wilson surveyed use an Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM)
philosophy, which accounts for variables beyond science, such as economic
and societal impacts. While many management approaches consider humans
outsiders to the environment, EBM takes into account the environmental
implications of human decisions. Lake Erie and several other large water
bodies have adopted broad ecosystem management over the last 20 years. 

 

"For many years, we managed systems one species or one element at a time,
but more and more we're learning you have to manage the entire ecosystem,"
says Jeff Reutter, Director of Ohio Sea Grant. "As more ecosystems implement
an EBM approach, studies like this certainly will help us to know what works
and what doesn't work and that allows us to include characteristics that
make other ecosystems successful in our own plans."

 

Ohio State University's Ohio Sea Grant program is part of NOAA Sea Grant, a
network of 32 Sea Grant programs dedicated to the protection and sustainable
use of marine and Great Lakes resources. For information on Ohio Sea Grant
and Stone Lab, visit  <http://ohioseagrant.osu.edu> ohioseagrant.osu.edu.

 

To learn more about this Ohio Sea Grant-funded research, visit
<http://ohioseagrant.osu.edu/_documents/twineline/v33i2.pdf>
ohioseagrant.osu.edu/_documents/twineline/v33i2.pdf.

 

###

 

Contact:

Dr. Greg Wilson, Associate Vice President, University Relations, Kent State
University, 330.672.0704,  <mailto:gwilson2 at kent.edu> gwilson2 at kent.edu.

 

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