Ecosystem Management Plan (paper) Objective: The objective of this course is help students construct an Ecosystem Management Plan while critically analyzing all the important components of the plan. C

Ecosystem Management Plan (paper)

Objective:

The objective of this course is help students construct an Ecosystem Management Plan while critically analyzing all the important components of the plan.

Choosing an Ecosystem:

You can choose any ecosystem (within Manitoba or outside), however please ensure that the area is small so that it is manageable.

Ensure that you have access to details about the ecosystem.

Choosing an ecosystem which you can visit would be helpful but not necessary.

Please discuss your ecosystem with the instructor ahead of time.

Final Plan:

The Final Management Plan should ·

Be presented in a professional manner in about 15 to 20 pages (excluding references and figures and tables) ·       You can also use of technical and non-technical literature to support the plan.

The overall coherence and presentation of the plan will play a significant part in the assessment. 

The format for the plan is flexible but should contain all of the information needed to lead to implementation of the team’s ideas and recommendations. Please carefully look at the essential elements of a plan which is given at the end of the document and use it as a checklist. 

Ecosystem Management Plans should be professionally presented in Times Roman 12 pt. Font and double spaced. ·       

Follow APA (American Psychological Association) reference style.

(Please note:  This checklist is by no means exhaustive. These key elements are important part of every plan, however each plan will have its own unique components that need to be added to your plan)

• Determining the stakeholders and defining the ecosystem area and developing the relationship between them.

1.     The Goals and Objectives of the plan

2.     Define the Geographical boundaries of the Ecosystem with a clear map.

3.     Rationale for making it the size that it is

4.     Detail all stakeholders and classification of stake holders (primary, secondary and tertiary).

5.    Detail the time scale of the plan, with reason for the time scale.

6.    Establish the relationship (positive and negative) between the main stake holders and the ecosystem area that has been chosen.

7.   The different scientific disciplines and/or different sectors that need to be involved in as per this ecosystem area?

•  Ecosystem structure, function and management.

1.     Description of the Ecological structure (e.g. abiotic factor, biotic factors and their relation)

2.     Establishing the different functional relation in the ecosystem based on the ecological structure that has described.

3.     The aspects of this functional relation that requires to be managed.

4.     The seasonal considerations to be taken into account, such as floods, droughts, winter, summer etc.

5.     Identification of different sources of knowledge that are available and its incorporation (e.g. Traditional, Indigenous)

• Economic issues

1.     The legal and regulatory requirements that are needed to implement the plan in that area.

2.     Identify “winners” and “losers” in this plan.

3.     The reason why the winners were chosen and the different incentives available to the winners.

4.     Identify ethical aspects of the plan.

5.     Cost of the plan and the sources of revenue.

• Adaptive management over space

1.     Identify nearby ecosystems.

2.     Identification of effects of the ecosystem plan on the adjacent ecosystem.

3.     Plans to mitigate or incentivize the effect on adjacent ecosystem.

• Adaptive management over time

1.     Identify potential changes that can happen over time.

2.     What are the monitoring methods?

3.     How do you plan for Climate change/ extreme weather events.

4.     How does the plan address these changes and what are the different tools available?

Presentation of the Ecosystem Plan (power point):

·      Each student is expected to present their plan to the class and also respond to another student’s plan with questions and suggestions.

·      Ecosystem Management Plans presentation should be 10 min in length and the response should be about 5 min.

•  There should only be 5-7 slides in the presentation covering the following topics

o   Goal and Objectives

o   Plans to achieve the objectives and goal

o   Adaptive Management (time and space)

o   Monitoring and follow up

o   Ethical considerations.

·      The rubric for the grading of the presentation and response is attached below.

·      The presentation (8%) and the response (2%) in total will contribute 10% of the total grade.