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Integrated Ecosystem Research

guidance from the national research council

In providing guidance for development of the 2005 Science Plan, the National Research Council (NRC) stated that without an Integrated Ecosystem Research Program (IERP) concept, “… NPRB will at best be a collection of loosely related projects, not a well-integrated program.”

In developing an IERP, the NRC urged the Board to identify the most pressing management needs and questions, select a priority for a focused IERP, and then organize a workshop specific to that question.

The NRC noted that with its limited resources, the Board should support development and use of complex biophysical/ecosystem models to focus research efforts and synthesize observations from long term monitoring projects and other historical data as available.

With its stable, long-term funding, the Board’s most enduring legacy may be its steady encouragement of multidisciplinary, ecosystem-wide research.

bering seaMajor Programs

Bering Sea IERP: 2007-2012

NPRB and the National Science Foundation recently launched a joint five-year, $50 million project to further develop this understanding in the Bering Sea.

gulf of alaskaGulf of Alaska IERP

A second ecosystem-research program focusing on the Gulf of Alaska is planned to be launched in 2008. A Planning Team has provided a framework, aided by input gained from workshops.

 

What’s “integrated” about this work?

Scientists join forces in a coordinated approach to understanding how a marine ecosystem works — from the benthos to the atmosphere, and everything in between. They also study the socio-economic impacts of a changing marine ecosystem on humans and communities.

The goal of an IERP is to gain understanding of an integrated ecosystem so that fisheries managers can better forecast and respond to changing environmental conditions. Accurate ecological forecasts will help support critical decisions and planning for the management of coastal and ocean ecosystems and fish and wildlife populations.

ecosystem puzzleIntegrated ecosystem research ...

  • emphasizes multiple-factor hypotheses
  • includes major ecosystem facets such as atmospheric features, top predators and humans
  • considers how different ecosystem components interact
  • should lead to validation and refinement of basic premises in scientific literature and in resource management documents

Goals of an IERP

  • prediction of future ecosystem states in response to the combination of natural variability and human activities
  • determination of the limits of ecosystem predictability -- useful information for resource managers and policy makers