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Ecosystem-based Management |
EBM Planning Handbook

The Ecosystem-based Management Planning Handbook (EMBPH) aims to guide implementation of EBM across multiple scales—from First Nations territories or other planning subregions such as the Central and North Coast, through landscapes and watersheds, to individual sites. The Handbook has two principal audiences: participants in land use planning processes; and decision makers, resource professionals, businesses, and local people who use and manage land and natural resources in the CIT analysis area.

The Handbook provides a useful starting point for implementing an ecosystem-based approach to land and resource management in the CIT analysis area. It recognizes that those charged with implementing EBM will need to further develop recommended management objectives and targets based on consideration of traditional and local knowledge, expert opinion, additional research, input from land use planning processes and local planning participants, and adaptive management.

Content

The Handbook describes the principles, goals, objectives, and key concepts underlying the CIT’s approach to ecosystem-based management (see also Scientific Basis of EBM. It outlines a framework for EBM planning at multiples scales (territory/subregion, landscape and watershed, and site/stand), and for each scale, describes assessments needed, potential data sources, management objectives, management targets, and indicators.

Key approaches outlined in the EBM Planning Handbook include:

• Establishing a system of protected areas and reserves at multiple scales to protect ecological and cultural heritage values.
• Using traditional, local, and scientific knowledge of natural ecological patterns and processes, their historic variability, and risk assessment to develop ecosystem-specific management targets.
• Recognizing and accommodating Aboriginal Rights and Title and interests.
• Engaging local community representatives and stakeholders.
• Establishing of new arrangements among First Nations, governments, and stakeholders.
• Exploring new policy instruments and management arrangements.

The Handbook endeavors to maintain ecological integrity overall at the subregional scale and in landscapes and watersheds with high conservation values, while allowing a focus on economic development elsewhere. Accordingly, management targets are of low ecological risk at the subregional level, and may range from precautionary to high risk at the landscape, watershed, or site/stand planning scales. Such an approach provides for operational flexibility and the exploration of alternative management practices in different landscapes, watersheds, and sites. Management targets are based on recommendations outlined in the Scientific Basis of EBM.

The last chapter of the Handbook discusses issues related to the transition from current practices to EBM, including lower-level planning in the absence of higher-level plans, ecological restoration, institutional design (see also Institutional Analysis), trouble-shooting, and enabling economic diversification and innovation.

EBM Planning Handbook Report
( 6.4 Mb)

http://www.citbc.org.