Ecosystem-based Management

Whether it’s working on flood reduction measures or understanding sea level rise impacts, the complex nature of ecosystem-based management demands an integrated approach. While scientific understanding of landscape change and ecology can be used to predict how the natural system will transform and adapt, the needs of residents, communities and economies must also be considered in the development of effective management approaches.

Ecosystem-based management is an approach that recognizes the full array of interactions within an ecosystem, including humans, which builds upon the study of species or ecosystem functions.   

As Louisiana moves forward with one of the largest ecosystem management programs in history outlined in the 2017 Coastal Master Plan, the Institute’s work on the plan and subsequent supportive science to inform the implementation of the program has been key.

Using the Integrated Compartment Model to determine how different coastal projects could interact with each other and the environment, the Institute provided the foundational work giving Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority the ability to choose the most effective suite of projects for inclusion in the plan. In another example, studying the blue crab’s ability to use the ever-increasing density of black mangroves along the coast will provide vital information for fisheries management for a species that supports Louisiana careers, incomes, and culture.

The fate of coastal wetlands in the face of accelerating sea-level rise and sinking of land is an issue of national and international concern, but effects on coastal industrial facilities, critical and essential infrastructure for coastal communities, and centuries of cultural heritage must also be considered.