An Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) and the Coral Triangle Initiative

The CTI adopted a Regional Plan of Action with five goals, including the application of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management (EAFM). EAFM is defined by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as an approach to fisheries management and development that balances diverse societal objectives by taking into account the knowledge and uncertainties about biotic, abiotic, and human components of ecosystems and their interactions. The FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries supports EAFM, stating that its purpose is to plan, develop, and manage fisheries in a manner that addresses the multiple needs and desires of societies without jeopardizing the options for future generations to benefit from the full range of goods and services provided by marine ecosystems. The practical implementation of EAFM typically includes a systematic process of data collection, planning, implementation, monitoring, and review. At the heart of the EAFM process is an integrated management plan that involves stakeholders throughout the management process, management that is adaptive, and objectives that are broad in scope. FAO guidelines provide a framework for the practical implementation of EAFM. EAFM complements and includes many existing approaches to fisheries and marine and coastal resources management, such as co-management, integrated coastal zone management (ICM), marine protected areas (MPAs), and ecosystem-based management (EBM). A distinction can be made between these approaches, with multi-sectoral approaches dealing with goals for management that include all sectors, and sectoral approaches focusing on managing a given sector in a way that is consistent with a wider ecosystem well-being focus. The Locally-managed Marine Area (LMMA) Network in the Coral Triangle region supports coastal and marine resource management activities in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Indonesia, and the Philippines. An LMMA is an area of near-shore waters and coastal resources that is largely or wholly managed at a local level by the coastal communities, land-owning groups, partner organizations, and/or collaborative government representatives who reside or are based in the immediate area. In the Philippines, the Fisheries Improved for Sustainable Harvest (FISH) project raised fisheries management initiatives to an ecosystem scale by studying the dynamics of marine ecosystems within a defined boundary, developing indices of the ecosystem's health, and setting management targets. The project also put in place immediate fisheries management interventions for species that are key to the food web and implemented a governance system that is responsive to an ecosystem approach to fisheries management. EAFM is being used in various parts of the Coral Triangle region, including the Philippines, where it has been scaled-up from existing site or localized management to broader ecosystems operating over multiple political jurisdictions. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources issued Fisheries Office Order no. 217, Adoption and Implementation of the Integrated Fisheries Management Unit (IFMU) Scheme, which can be a cluster of municipalities coordinated at the provincial level and with technical and information support by the BFAR regional office. The CTI countries have agreed to the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, which provides an internationally recognized definition of EAFM. Each country may adapt all or parts of this definition to its particular fisheries management needs, policies, and laws. EAFM is a widely accepted concept and various international instruments support its application, including the UN Conference on Environment and Development, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the 2002 Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development.