New paradigms for supporting the resilience of marine ecosystems.
Resource managers and scientists from disparate disciplines are rising to the challenge of understanding and moderating human impacts on marine ecosystems. Traditional barriers to communication between marine ecologists, fisheries biologists, social scientists and economists are beginning to break down, and the distinction between applied and basic research is fading. These ongoing trends arise, in part, from an increasing awareness of the profound influence of people on the functioning of all marine ecosystems, an increased focus on spatial and temporal scale, and a renewed assessment of the role of biodiversity in the sustainability of ecosystem goods and services upon which human societies depend. Here, we highlight the emergence of a complex systems approach for sustaining and repairing marine ecosystems, linking ecological resilience to governance structures, economics and society.
Hughes
Terence P
TP
Centre for Coral Reef Biodiversity, School of Marine Biology and Aquaculture, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia. Terry.Hughes@jcu.edu.au
Bellwood
David R
DR
Folke
Carl
C
Steneck
Robert S
RS
Wilson
James
J