Interpretation and Adoption of Ecosystem-Based Management by State Agencies and Organizations in New York State

Ecosystem based management (EBM) continues to be a ‘buzz’ word among state and federal agencies alike as a means to approach environmental management.  Yet, a common understanding of what EBM is and how it applies to the diversity of government, non-profit and for-profit organizations involved in its implementation remains poorly understood.  More specifically, ambiguous goals, conflicting policies and a lack of institutional capacity have been identified as barriers to EBM implementation.   New York State is no exception to this growing trend.  In 2006 the NY State legislature mandated EBM be used to manage the state’s coastal ecosystems and Great Lakes.  Currently, 13 State agencies and organizations in NY State are working towards the implementation of EBM.  The purpose of this research is to gain a better understating of how these state agencies and organizations interpret EBM and the relationship between their interpretations and subsequent adoption of EBM principles.  No standardized tool exists to understand how the diversity of organizations interpret and adopt EBM.  Through this research we will develop an ‘EBM adoption scale” based on relevant peer-reviewed literature and publicly available NY State documents on EBM.  As EBM continues to gain in popularity as a method for environmental management, understanding how it is interpreted, adopted and implemented will improve the effectiveness of coastal and Great Lakes resource management.