Ecosystem-based management

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The Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge brings together a group of experts who are working on creating a new way of managing our marine ecosystems called ecosystem-based management (EBM).

EBM takes into account all the uses and impacts on all parts of a marine ecosystem.

Our marine areas are not only important for plants and animals, but also for our economy, industries and people. Marine industries include:

• removal of resources – such as fish, oil and gas, and minerals
• tourism
• aquaculture
• shipping
• communications – such as undersea fibre-optic cables
• recreation.

The New Zealand Government looks after our marine areas. Our marine areas include:

• New Zealand’s Territorial Sea (from the shore out to 12 nautical miles)
• Exclusive Economic Zone (from 12 nautical miles from the shore to 200 nautical miles from the shore).

These areas are looked after by the New Zealand Government and laws are made to decide who can use marine resources. This can be hard because different people want to use marine areas in different ways.

Ecosystem-based management takes into account how different people and organisations use and value marine areas. EBM will manage impacts on entire ecosystems rather than just individual species. 

Old ways of managing our seas are now in need of a rethink. We can no longer look at just some species or focus on one issue at a time. We need to look at:

• all the links within an ecosystem
• the impacts on the ecosystem
• the way the ecosystem is used
• the values the ecosystem has for people.

The Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge brings together a group of different experts from scientists to lawyers to mātauranga Māori holders. The aim of this project is to not only improve the value of our marine resources but also to make sure that these resources do not run out, and that Aotearoa New Zealand’s marine ecosystems are thriving.

A new way of managing our marine areas will be created, called ecosystem-based management (EBM). To achieve this, the Sustainable Seas Challenge researchers are:

• Finding out more about how marine ecosystems work, how they are interconnected and how people can affect these ecosystems
• Talking with different iwi, organisations and groups to find out how they use (or want to use) and value New Zealand’s marine areas
• Creating tools to help New Zealand better manage our marine resources for the benefit of all
• Working with Māori, government, councils, industry and communities to create EBM that works for Aotearoa.

EBM for Aotearoa is based on the 7 principles:

• Group decision making – different organisations and communities are all able to take part in making decisions
• Sustainability – marine areas, values and uses are protected for the future
• Human activities – all activities from industry to recreation to conservation are taken into account as part of the ecosystem
• Adaptability – adapts to new knowledge, changing values and events
• Knowledge-based – is based on the best, most up-to-date science and mātauranga Māori
• Tailored – to suit different ecosystems in different areas that are used and valued in different ways.
• Co-governance – Governance structures that provide for Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi partnership, tikanga and mātauranga Māori

EBM is a work in progress. The Sustainable Seas Challenge is trialling EBM in the Tasman-Golden Bay and Hawke’s Bay areas because they have:

• a variety of marine habitats
• many different and competing uses, activities and interests

Find out more about the Sustainable Seas Challenge.

Complete the Ecosystem-Based Management quiz

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