Ecosystem management

Ecosystem management 

Ecosystem management focuses on sustaining and restoring ecosystem health while balancing ecological, economic and social needs. By recognizing the interconnectedness of natural systems and human activities, the integrity and resilience of ecosystems can persevere in the face of challenges like climate change, habitat degradation and over-exploitation. This approach is important to ensure the continued and sustainable provision of essential services, like clean water and fertile soil, and biodiversity conservation. 

Ecosystem management also supports transboundary cooperation. It offers a framework for managing natural resources across borders, which is vital for successfully implementing multilateral environment agreements, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Paris Agreement and the Ramsar Convention. Addressing shared environmental challenges promotes international collaboration, ensures ecosystem resilience and enables collective action to meet global environment and sustainability goals. 

Examples of ecosystem management 

• Forest management: In the Amazon and Congo basins, ecosystem management is employed to prevent deforestation, conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable land use, protecting vital carbon sinks and supporting local communities. 

• Wetland conservation: Efforts in places like Iraq’s Mesopotamian Marshes involve balancing water resources and biodiversity preservation while supporting agriculture and fisheries, providing essential services like water filtration and flood protection. 

• Marine ecosystem management: Ecosystem management in marine ecosystems, including coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass and kelp, ensures sustainable fishing practices, coastal protection and biodiversity conservation, contributing to food security and climate regulation. 

• Mountains: UNEP’s Resilient Mountains project promotes regional cooperation and dialogue in mountain regions across the globe. Through Mountains Connect, UNEP also facilitates inter-regional exchange with regional mountain conventions such as the Alpine and Carpathian conventions. 

Ecosystem-based approaches 

A key component of ecosystem management is ecosystem-based approaches, which promote the conservation and sustainable use of land, water and living resources in an equitable way. This approach emphasizes restoring ecosystems and enhancing ecosystem services to safeguard society from the negative impacts of climate change, land degradation, biodiversity loss, pollution and waste. Ecosystem-based approaches include strategies such as integrated water resource management, integrated coastal zone management, marine spatial planning, ecosystem-based adaptation and ecosystem-based risk reduction. These strategies highlight the need for coordinated management that considers the full range of ecosystem services. 

Key ecosystem management efforts  

• Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) supports countries in using ecosystems to adapt to climate change by integrating ecosystem conservation into broader development plans, such as national adaptation plans. 

• The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030) is a global movement co-led by UNEP that aims to restore billions of hectares of degraded ecosystems, boosting biodiversity, food security and climate resilience.  

• Through the Global Environment Facility, UNEP supports countries to address global environmental challenges by promoting integrated land and water management to protect and enhance ecosystem services.