Great South Bay Ecosystem-Based Management Demonstration Project

Status, Lessons Learned, &Implementation Recommendations

Nancy KelleyExecutive DirectorTNC-Long IslandJanuary 11, 2008

Ecosystem-based management is an approach to managing ecosystems that considers the entire ecosystem, including humans. It promotes ecosystem viability and integrity, biodiversity, sustainability, and social values and principles.

TNC Charge

Long Island

1. Draft EBM Plan using TNC Conservation by Design approach

2. Key research & monitoring to help prioritize threats or focus strategies

3. Opportunities & strategies for governmental alignment

4. Poll 400-600 people to discern behaviors and perceptions of GSB

5. Primary land-based sources of nitrogen to GSB

6. Hard clam restoration

7. Seagrass restoration

Demo site & watershed

GSB EBM draft plan uses best available science to identify a suite of “surrogates” that represent the estuarine system, their viability and threats.

Seagrass MeadowsWinter Flounder

Salt Marshes

Representatives of sub-ecosystems, key processes,

and human uses Barrier Island Complex

AlewivesPredatory Fish

Horseshoe Crabs

Piping plovers

Hard Clams

• What is our best estimate of how well Great South Bay is doing?

• How well are the surrogates doing? Are they in an acceptable range of variability?

• Life history, temporal & spatial distribution, key physical processes

Threats Across Targets Hard Clams

Salt Marshes

AlewivesPiping

PloversSeagrass Meadows

Horseshoe

Crabs

Winter Flounder

Barrier Island

Complex Overall Threat Rank

Project-specific threats (Common taxonomy) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

1 Breach contingency / Inlet Management () Medium - - - Medium - High High High

2Shoreline armoring (Other Ecosystem Modifications)

Low High - Low Low Medium - High High

3 Development (Housing & Urban Areas) - High - Medium - Low - High High

4 Global warming (Temperature Extremes) Medium Medium Medium - Medium - High - Medium

5 Sea level rise (Habitat Shifting & Alteration) - High - Medium - Medium - - Medium

6Beach nourishment (Other Ecosystem Modifications)

- Low - Low - - - High Medium

7Imbalanced Concentration and Composition of Nutrients (Household Sewage & Urban Waste Water)

High Low - - Low - - - Medium

8Harmful Algal Blooms (Invasive Non-Native/Alien Species)

High - - - Low - - - Medium

9 Dams (Dams & Water Management/Use) - - High - - - - - Medium

10Direct take (Fishing & Harvesting Aquatic Resources)

Medium - Low - - Low Medium - Medium

11 Dredging (Shipping Lanes) - Low - - Low - Low Medium Low

12 Disease (Invasive Non-Native/Alien Species) Medium - - - Low - - - Low

13 By-catch () - - - - - - Medium - Low

14 Inadequate culverts () - Low Medium - - - - - Low

15Invasive Species (Plants, Phragmites) (Invasive Non-Native/Alien Species)

- Medium - - - - - Low Low

16Loss of sea grass beds (Fishing & Harvesting Aquatic Resources)

Medium - - - - - Low - Low

Threat Status for Targets and Project High High Medium Medium MediumMediu

mHigh High High

PreservationRestoration Research & Monitoring

Policy Communication

Measurable objectives to direct and evaluate performance

Strategies

EBM Strategies

• Specific to Great South Bayex. Hard clams restoration

• Specific to Long Islandex. Piping plover management

• State-wideex. Seagrass management plan

• Region/Nation-wideex. Multi-species fisheries management

Project Status• GSB EBM Demo plan to be submitted end of Jan 2008

along with 1st draft of the governance section

• Poll was completed in November 2007 and focus groups scheduled for mid-February

• First run of nitrogen loading models–field sampling Spring 2008 to ground truth model results

• Approx. 3 million adult clams transplanted into spawner sanctuaries

• 2nd round of seagrass seeded in July 2007

Lessons Learned• Stakeholders earlier in the process to

develop a vision & provide ongoing input

• County & town involvement

• More transparent human use considerations throughout the Plan

• Socioeconomic analysis of cost/benefits of recommended strategies

• Adaptive management aspects of EBM require a commitment for long-term monitoring

• Implementation of Plan recommendations is key

Next Steps

• Scientific peer review

• Expanded education & outreach

• Public summary

• Historical trends of N loading & evaluation of mgmt options

• Restoration & monitoring