By Ole Martin Sandberg
Although the Nordic Biodiversity Framework (NBF) project, focused on the institutional and legal structures of the respective countries to help analyze their efforts to achieve the targets agreed upon in Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), we believe it is important to draw attention to the fact that the GBF builds on conceptual, legal and scientific foundations that have been established prior to the Conference of Parties in Montreal 2022. Specifically, we draw attention to the passage: “[T]his Framework is to be implemented based on the ecosystem approach of the Convention”. The reason to draw attention to this part is that media headlines about, and thus the popular understanding of, the GBF focused on targets meant to be achieved in the future and policies that must be implemented right now in order to achieve those targets, but there has been little awareness about the fact that the CBD also has robust theories about how this could and should be carried out. Media and politicians tend to focus on quantifiable numbers such as those specified in the various GBF targets while paying little attention to the processes necessary to achieve results. The Ecosystem Approach, which has been established as “the primary framework of action to be taken under the Convention”, gives a number of important recommendations regarding these processes.
The ecosystem approach is “a strategy for the integrated management of land, water and living resources that promotes conservation and sustainable use in an equitable way”. Of relevance in this passage is 1) the emphasis on thinking of the different areas of conservation and sustainability as integrated aspects of nature that need coherent management, and 2) the focus on equity and sustainable use. The former is about ecology and ecosystems while latter is about humans and societal issues but in the Ecosystem Approach these aspects are necessarily connected. The Ecosystem Approach is based on lessons learned from both failures and successes in ecosystem management from previous decades and contains important novel insights into both the nature of ecosystems and the social processes that facilitate their effective management.
Among the key scientific differences between the Ecosystem Approach and previous ways of thinking about environmental issues are that it recognizes the dynamic and complex processes of ecosystems and that it recognizes that “humans, with their cultural diversity, are an integral component of many ecosystems.” Some conservation programs in the past have failed because they were based on a static concept of nature that would exist in a pristine state which has been disrupted by humans and which it is the goal of conservation efforts to restore. This view sees humans and nature as essentially incompatible, and the goal and method of nature conservation is thus to remove humans from nature. This has been done in some cases, with unfortunate consequences, by imposing inflexible laws by central governments without consulting the people who were living in, with and off the respective ecosystems, and without involving them in the management of said ecosystems. Too often, this has turned potential participants in a collective management scheme into likely opponents. The Ecosystem Approach is intended to move beyond these approaches by applying both a new concept of ecosystems and presenting principles for processes of management based on experiences from numerous case studies.
Rather than conserving specific species or protecting specific areas and habitats, the Ecosystem Approach focuses on the “structure, processes, functions and interactions” within ecosystems” which include the “dynamic relationship within species, among species and between species and their abiotic environment, as well as the physical and chemical interactions within the environment”. It is these dynamic processes and interactions that together form an ecosystem and which need to be maintained, rather than the individual components of them such as individual species. There is, therefore, a significant conceptual shift away from a static view of nature which humans need to conserve, to a more dynamic view of ecosystem processes that are constantly changing with or without human intervention. This dynamic view of nature has implications for management and policy.
The dynamic nature of ecosystems and the unpredictability and uncertainty of their processes call for 1) a system of adaptive management, as opposed to fixed and unflexible laws and regulations, 2) management that is decentralized to the lowest level possible, as opposed to policies imposed from above, and 3) an inclusive and participatory process where all relevant information is taken into account and all interested parties (which ultimately could be all of society) are involved in both the decision making process and the daily operations of management to the degrees that are relevant and possible, as opposed to a system where only experts, politicians or special interest lobby-groups are shaping the policy. These guiding principles are to enable ecosystem management to be flexible and adapt to unpredicted changes and to ensure that everyone who has an interest in the preservation and utilization of ecosystems develop the sense of responsibility, ownership and empowerment that enable them to take care of it in a cooperative manner. Thus, the Ecosystem Approach calls for the involvement of scientific experts, local planners, primary users and local communities in the identification of problems, needs and goals regarding specific resources and ecosystems.
To achieve these goals, the Ecosystem Approach includes a guideline for the process of ecosystem management based on the following 12 principles.
- The objectives of the management of land, water and living resources are a matter of societal choice.
- Management should be decentralised to the lowest appropriate level.
- Ecosystem managers should consider the effects (actual or potential) of their activities on adjacent and other ecosystems.
- Recognising potential gains from management, there is usually a need to understand and manage the ecosystem in an economic context. Any such an ecosystem management program should: (a) Reduce those market distortions that adversely impact biological diversity; (b) Align incentives to promote biodiversity conservation and sustainable use; (c) Internalise costs and benefits in the given ecosystem to the extent feasible.
- Conservation of ecosystem structure and functioning, in order to maintain ecosystem services, should be a priority target of the ecosystem approach.
- Ecosystems must be managed within the limits of their functioning.
- The ecosystem approach should be undertaken at the appropriate spatial and temporal scales.
- Recognising the varying temporal scales and lag-effects that characterize ecosystem processes, objectives for ecosystem management should be set for the long term.
- Management must recognise that change is inevitable.
- The ecosystem approach should seek the appropriate balance between, and integration of, conservation and use of biological diversity.
- The ecosystem approach should consider all forms of relevant information, including scientific, indigenous, and local knowledge, innovations, and practices.
- The ecosystem approach should involve all relevant sectors of society and scientific disciplines.
As stated, the NBF project has not focused on the degree to which the Ecosystem Approach has been implemented in the respective countries, but given that the CBD states that “the ecosystem approach is essential in guiding action under the various programmes of work of the Convention” it would be extremely relevant for future projects to examine and compare how different countries are implementing this approach.
References
BIODICE and the Icelandic ministry of food, agriculture and fisheries. Synopsis of the Symposium on the Ecosystem Approach – English summary (Reykjavík 2023).
CBD, Decision Adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity 15/4. Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (Montreal, Canada, 2022).
CBD, Ecosystem Approach, COP 5 Decision V/6 (Nairobi, Kenya, 2000).
CBD Ecosystem Approach Sourcebook website COP 7 Decision VII/11 (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2004).
The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, The Ecosystem Approach (CBD Guidelines) (Montreal, Canada, 2004).