Research On The Relationship Of EBM And ICM From Ecological Restoration In Xiamen ICM

Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) and Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) both provide efficient management approaches for solving environmental problems in coastal and marine areas, and as so far the EBM approach is more often used in large scale such as Large Marine Ecosystems, Ecoregions, while ICM is often used in smaller scales such as estuaries and local sectors.After using the methods such as literature reference, materials collection, theoretical analysis and case study et al., this paper has made a detailed description about the application of EBM concept in Xiamen ICM, and in the end of this paper, a discussion about the relationship between EBM and ICM has been given. For this paper, some results are achieved as follows:(1) Discussion of relative theories about EBM and ICM is given respectively, and then this paper gives some analysises about the obstacles and challenges in practices of EBM and ICM.EBM is driven by explicit goals, executed by policies, protocols, and practices, and made adaptable by monitoring and research based on our best understanding of the ecological interactions and processes necessary to sustain ecosystem structure and function; and ICM is a continuous and dynamic process by which decisions are taken for the sustainable use, development, and protection of coastal and marine areas and resources.Functions, objectives, guidelines are also given about EBM and ICM except the definitions, and according to their practices in the past several years, obstacles and challenges are summed. The obstacles and challenges of EBM include: no uniform definition, guidelines; insufficient knowledge of management targets, inadequate governance system and science support; insufficient research on theory and the legislation; no appropriate management benchmarks and associated indicators and so on. The obstacles and challenges of ICM are as follows: insufficient research on ICM theory; inadequate legislation; insufficient public awareness; inadequate collaboration of different management department and so on.(2) A detailed description of the application of EBM concept in Xiamen ICM is discussed after a brief introduction of Xiamen ICM.Applying EBM concept into ICM in international, national and regional scales has been found in many papers, countries like Australia, Canada and America have already incorporated the concept into coastal management. However, the application of EBM concept in local ICM has been seldem reported. So in this paper, we take Xiamen ICM as a case to elaborate the application/incorporation of EBM concept. These cases are Natural Protected Areas, West Sea Area (WSA) Integrated Treatment, Maluan Bay Integrated Treatment, Wuyuan Bay Integrated Treatment, Wetland Gardens and Ecological Protected Areas, Causeways Uncorking and Silt Clearing Project, Replanting Mangroves, Releasing Artificial Hatched Seedlings into the Sea and Exotic Species Ceanup Projest. These cases all give good demonstration of the application of EBM into local ICM.(3) The relationship of EBM and ICM is discussed, and a research on the application scale of EBM and ICM is then given.There are broad similarities between ICM and EBM. On one hand, they have shared goals of maintaining functioning ecosystems and the sustainable use of coastal and marine resources; on the other hand, they also highlight important similarities in terms of the guiding principle of integration (inter-sectoral and inter-governmental) and the emphasis on management of human activities. The key distinctions between the two approaches are the definition of ecosystems and the priority of management approach. EBM focuses on ecosystems, and its management boundary is often determined by the needs of EBM; while the priority of ICM is the management of human activities, so its management boundary is often based on sectoral boundary.This paper has also given a research of relationship of EBM and ICM in the end, the conclusion is that EBM is appropriate at large scale such as national, regional and trans-boundary, and that the ICM model is fit to put in small scale level such as estuaries.