Concept of ecosystem management and its essential elements

Ecosystem management originates from the traditional fields of natural resources management and utilization, and developed in the 1990's. Based on our best understanding of the ecosystem composition, structure and function, and in definite spatiotemporal scales, it integrates human values and social-economic principles into managing ecosystems to restore and/or sustain ecosystem integrity and sustainability. Ecosystem management requires the collection of field data and the monitoring of ecosystem dynamics at multiple scales. The essential elements of ecosystem management include clear management goals, definite ecological boundaries and units, sound ecological understanding, appropriate scale and hierarchic structure, understanding of ecosystem uncertainty, adaptive management, cooperation between agency and individuals, and viewing human and its value as ecosystem components. The goal of ecosystem management focuses on ecosystem sustainability.