great south bay ecosystem-based management demonstration project status, lessons learned, &...
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Great South Bay Ecosystem-Based Management Demonstration Project
Status, Lessons Learned, &Implementation Recommendations
Nancy KelleyExecutive DirectorTNC-Long IslandJanuary 11, 2008
Ecosystem-based management is an approach to managing ecosystems that considers the entire ecosystem, including humans. It promotes ecosystem viability and integrity, biodiversity, sustainability, and social values and principles.
TNC Charge
Long Island
1. Draft EBM Plan using TNC Conservation by Design approach
2. Key research & monitoring to help prioritize threats or focus strategies
3. Opportunities & strategies for governmental alignment
4. Poll 400-600 people to discern behaviors and perceptions of GSB
5. Primary land-based sources of nitrogen to GSB
6. Hard clam restoration
7. Seagrass restoration
Demo site & watershed
GSB EBM draft plan uses best available science to identify a suite of “surrogates” that represent the estuarine system, their viability and threats.
Seagrass MeadowsWinter Flounder
Salt Marshes
Representatives of sub-ecosystems, key processes,
and human uses Barrier Island Complex
AlewivesPredatory Fish
Horseshoe Crabs
Piping plovers
Hard Clams
• What is our best estimate of how well Great South Bay is doing?
• How well are the surrogates doing? Are they in an acceptable range of variability?
• Life history, temporal & spatial distribution, key physical processes
Threats Across Targets Hard Clams
Salt Marshes
AlewivesPiping
PloversSeagrass Meadows
Horseshoe
Crabs
Winter Flounder
Barrier Island
Complex Overall Threat Rank
Project-specific threats (Common taxonomy) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 Breach contingency / Inlet Management () Medium - - - Medium - High High High
2Shoreline armoring (Other Ecosystem Modifications)
Low High - Low Low Medium - High High
3 Development (Housing & Urban Areas) - High - Medium - Low - High High
4 Global warming (Temperature Extremes) Medium Medium Medium - Medium - High - Medium
5 Sea level rise (Habitat Shifting & Alteration) - High - Medium - Medium - - Medium
6Beach nourishment (Other Ecosystem Modifications)
- Low - Low - - - High Medium
7Imbalanced Concentration and Composition of Nutrients (Household Sewage & Urban Waste Water)
High Low - - Low - - - Medium
8Harmful Algal Blooms (Invasive Non-Native/Alien Species)
High - - - Low - - - Medium
9 Dams (Dams & Water Management/Use) - - High - - - - - Medium
10Direct take (Fishing & Harvesting Aquatic Resources)
Medium - Low - - Low Medium - Medium
11 Dredging (Shipping Lanes) - Low - - Low - Low Medium Low
12 Disease (Invasive Non-Native/Alien Species) Medium - - - Low - - - Low
13 By-catch () - - - - - - Medium - Low
14 Inadequate culverts () - Low Medium - - - - - Low
15Invasive Species (Plants, Phragmites) (Invasive Non-Native/Alien Species)
- Medium - - - - - Low Low
16Loss of sea grass beds (Fishing & Harvesting Aquatic Resources)
Medium - - - - - Low - Low
Threat Status for Targets and Project High High Medium Medium MediumMediu
mHigh High High
PreservationRestoration Research & Monitoring
Policy Communication
Measurable objectives to direct and evaluate performance
Strategies
EBM Strategies
• Specific to Great South Bayex. Hard clams restoration
• Specific to Long Islandex. Piping plover management
• State-wideex. Seagrass management plan
• Region/Nation-wideex. Multi-species fisheries management
Project Status• GSB EBM Demo plan to be submitted end of Jan 2008
along with 1st draft of the governance section
• Poll was completed in November 2007 and focus groups scheduled for mid-February
• First run of nitrogen loading models–field sampling Spring 2008 to ground truth model results
• Approx. 3 million adult clams transplanted into spawner sanctuaries
• 2nd round of seagrass seeded in July 2007
Lessons Learned• Stakeholders earlier in the process to
develop a vision & provide ongoing input
• County & town involvement
• More transparent human use considerations throughout the Plan
• Socioeconomic analysis of cost/benefits of recommended strategies
• Adaptive management aspects of EBM require a commitment for long-term monitoring
• Implementation of Plan recommendations is key
Next Steps
• Scientific peer review
• Expanded education & outreach
• Public summary
• Historical trends of N loading & evaluation of mgmt options
• Restoration & monitoring