Ecosystem Management in the United States Research

To better understand and assess ecosystem management efforts in the U.S., EMI has conducted phone and written surveys of over 100 cases since 1995. Here you can learn more about the background of this research or get a quick and easy view of the results in the ecosystem management fact sheets below.

Background

In 1995, faculty and students at the University of Michigan 's School of Natural Resources and Environment began research to better understand and assess ecosystem management efforts in the United States. The goal of this research was to report on how projects were undertaking ecosystem management and to educate practitioners on the types and breadth of experiences seen. The research focused on defining characteristics of ecosystem management, the reasons projects were started, challenges faced, successes achieved, and factors facilitating project progress. The experiences of 105 projects across the United States were captured through written surveys and phone interviews and published by Island Press in Ecosystem Management in the United States: An Assessment of Current Experiences (Yaffee et al., 1996).

This research continued with a second survey in 1999. The goal of this research was similar to the 1995 survey in that it attempted to assess ecosystem management experiences. However, this second survey also assessed how projects moved forward and progressed over time to determine if any trends in ecosystem management were emerging. It focused on tracking and evaluating the ecological and institutional accomplishments of these projects and understanding changes in strategies, monitoring techniques, process and ecological outcomes, and factors impeding/facilitating project success. This research was reported in a master's thesis available here.

In 2003, a third survey of cases was conducted with the support of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. The cases studied included the majority of those surveyed in 1995 and 1999 as well as additional projects, many of which had become established more recently. In addition to exploring the characteristics of ecosystem management projects addressed in the previous two surveys, the 2003 survey focused on understanding project lifecycles and how project outcomes relate both to the collaborative process and evaluation efforts. A preliminary summary of results is available here (258 KB pdf).

Trends in Ecosystem Management Fact Sheets

These 2-page pdf documents provide a quick look at the characteristics of ecosystem management projects in the U.S. and how their approach and outcomes change over time.

• Who is involved and how are projects structured?
• What are the goals and strategies of ecosystem management projects?
• What are the outcomes of ecosystem management efforts?
• What facilitates and impedes the progress ecosystem management?