An ecosystem‐based approach to managing estuaries: An assessment of the National Estuary program

Abstract

Traditional coastal resource management programs tend to be fragmented and focused on a limited subset of problems. Many scholars, government practitioners, and academics have argued that an ecosystem‐based approach is more appropriate. A promising ecosystem‐based approach to managing estuaries in the United States is the National Estuary Program (NEP). The goal of this article is to examine the extent to which the NEP's management conference process represents an ecosystem‐based approach to managing estuarine systems. The article begins with a discussion of the challenges associated with utilizing an ecosystem‐based approach to environmental management. The strategy, structure, and process of the NEP are then examined using evaluative criteria drawn from a previous study of historical attempts to manage coastal areas in the United States. Based on the results of this assessment, some of the strengths and weaknesses of the NEP's management conference process are identified. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications associated with adopting ecosystem‐based approaches to environmental management on a broader scale in the United States.

Keywords:

• coastal zone management
• ecosystem management
• environmental management
• environmental planning
• estuaries
• estuary management
• implementation
• National Estuary Program
• program evaluation
• water quality
• water quality management