Eco-Economic Services of Marine Ecosystems

Eco-Economic Services of Marine Ecosystems: Implications for Restoration and Sustainable Management

Eco-economics is a cross-disciplinary approach which has developed because of clashes between ecological and economic approaches in business which are mutually exclusive (ISEE, 2001). Professor Mitsuhei Murata, Former Ambassador of Japan, believes that Eco-economics constitutes the shift from control of natural resources by big business, technology and bureaucrats, thinking only in terms of profits, to control by the average citizen, by philosophy and respect for the environment (Civil Society, 2002). He believes that natural resources should not be considered merely as an income source. They should be regarded as capital, and as such, should be protected. Lester Brown, president of the Earth Policy Institute, quotes Oystein Dahle of the Exxon as saying, "Socialism collapsed because it did not allow prices to reflect the economic costs. Capitalism may collapse because it does not allow prices to reflect the ecological costs."

In terms of marine ecosystems, overfishing of one species can have dramatic effects on other species in the same ecosystem, and land-based activities such as deforestation can affect ecosystems closer to shore (World Resources, 1996). Marine biodiversity needs to be maintained and protected, both coastally and in international waters. This means not only putting limits on fishing, but also developing better antipollution controls such as waste t

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so fall, particularly for subsistence fishermen. If fishing pressure is reduced, and young fish allowed to grow bigger before being caught, the yield could improve. The United States, Canada and the European Union are already reducing the size of their fishing fleets, and at least one major fish processor - Unilever - has agreed to cut back to sustainably managed fish stocks by 2005. Some fisheries in the United States enforce individual fishing quotas (IFQs) which limit a fisherman's seasonal harvest (Individual, 2002). This quota is based on the total allowable catch (TAC) for the fishery. Restoration and sustainable management need global cooperation if they are to succeed. References Friends of the Earth International. (2002). Individual fishing quotas. http://www.foe.org/fisheries/index.html Diminishing returns: world fisheries under pressure. Global Trends. (2000). Washington, DC: World Resources Institute. http://www.wri.org/wri/trends/fishloss.html International Society for Ecological Economics. (2001). Introduction. http://www.ecologicaleconomics,org/about/intro.htm Murata, M. (2002). To consider natural resources as mere sources of income is a serious mistake. http://www.teriin.or

Category: Science - E