Managing for resilience: an information theory‐based approach to assessing ecosystems

Abstract

Summary Ecosystems are complex and multivariate; hence, methods to assess the dynamics of ecosystems should have the capacity to evaluate multiple indicators simultaneously. Most research on identifying leading indicators of regime shifts has focused on univariate methods and simple models which have limited utility when evaluating real ecosystems, particularly because drivers are often unknown. We discuss some common univariate and multivariate approaches for detecting critical transitions in ecosystems and demonstrate their capabilities via case studies. Synthesis and applications. We illustrate the utility of an information theory‐based index for assessing ecosystem dynamics. Trends in this index also provide a sentinel of both abrupt and gradual transitions in ecosystems.

Quantifying resilience

“…Eason et al . () show how current early warning indicators can be complemented with a multivariate metric based on Fisher Information that quantifies the dynamic order of ecological and other complex systems. Fisher Information has the potential to detect abrupt changes and long transitions between ecological regimes (Spanbauer et al .…”

Ecosystem Resilience on Human Terms

“…This is particularly true given the growing recognition that the capacity of ecosystems to adapt to environmental change can be exhausted, and there are tipping points beyond which essential ecosystem features, attributes, and processes will be lost (Eason et al 2016;Baho et al 2017). That is, the expectation is that the natural environment will conform to human pressure, rather than recognizing that in a linked socioecological system, ecosystems are merely responding to the consequences of human decisions, allowing for the concept that perhaps the human decisions should change, not the ecosystems themselves.…”

“…A number of frameworks have been proposed for evaluating resilience, or the robustness of socioecological systems, more broadly (e.g., Anderies et al 2004;Ostrom 2007Ostrom , 2009Resilience Alliance 2010;Eason et al 2016;Baho et al 2017). These frameworks assume a "business as usual" approach under which growing human influences on biophysical processes continue while the natural environment is expected to absorb disturbances and reorganize while undergoing change, so as to still retain essentially the same functions, structures, identity, and feedbacks under unexpected impacts (Baho et al 2017).…”

Marine complex adaptive systems : theory, legislation and management practices

“…However, several voices in scientific literature highlighted that this process may be hard to implement and even impossible to achieve. Eason et al (2016) point to the difficulty to identify critical variables driving system transitions and shift towards different status, such that there may never be the capacity to fully quantify the resilience of a socialecological system. Borja et al (2016a) highlight the fact that there are currently no methods to assess marine health in a holistic way, integrating information from multiple ecosystem components, nor methods to evaluate cumulative effects of multiple pressures.…”