The importance of the ecosystem approach in the management of the marine environment

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(2020) 5:22

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The importance of the ecosystem approach in the management of the marine environment F. Tseliou1   · A. Tselepides2 Received: 12 December 2019 / Accepted: 4 April 2020 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020

Abstract The present paper focuses on the importance of the ecosystem approach (EA) for the preservation and conservation of the marine environment. Marine ecosystems are complex entities that contribute significantly to the sustainable well being of people by providing a wide range of goods and services. The economic benefits of these goods and services are enormous and to a large extent impossible to estimate. Thus, due to the extensive and irrational use and overexploitation of marine resources, there is a need for an integrated, holistic, sustainable approach to marine environmental management. The EA requires a deep understanding of ecological, economic, societal, and cultural interactions and is the ultimate tool for implementing and achieving sustainable development. It is the key to balancing the number of users of marine resources and stakeholders in order to promote the roles of the green economy and (sustainable) blue growth (e.g., maritime activities, fisheries, renewable energy, and blue biotechnology). The aim is to use the EA to optimize the benefits provided by the oceans while simultaneously minimizing the pressures exerted by human activities on marine ecosystems. Keywords  Ecosystem approach · Ecosystem-based management · Sustainable shipping · Marine spatial planning · Collisions with whales

Introduction In his book Salvatores Dei/The Saviors of God: Spiritual Excercises, Nikos Kazantzakis notes that the ultimate, most sacred form of theory is action. Ecosystem-based management (EBM) is a fundamentally different approach not only in theory but also in practice. This approach requires not only expertise in the ecological, social, and economic sciences but also an enhanced understanding of social and economic systems and their links to biophysical systems. In addition, EBM differs from conventional management that focuses on a single sector because EBM considers the cumulative impacts of various sectors (UNEP 2011). Given its complexity, the marine ecosystem needs to be addressed Communicated by D. Vagiona and G. Pozoukidou, Guest Editors. * F. Tseliou [email protected] 1



Independent Authority for Public Revenues, Athens, Greece



Department of Maritime Studies, University of Piraeus, Pireas, Greece

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nonlinearly and with a great deal of cooperation and willingness to implement change holistically. Incorporating the results of previous actions and the scientific knowledge earned from them allows managers to remain flexible. There is no single way to implement the EA, as it depends on the conditions of the system considered, which are taken into consideration ad hoc (Shepherd 2008). Ecosystem-based management is a response to today’s deepening biodiversity crisis (Grumbine 1994). It is also inseparable from the concept of ecosystem health and human we