Tool Needs

Gulf of Maine EBM Toolkit Survey Report

The Gulf of Maine EBM Toolkit Survey was conducted in 2007 to help determine the types of tools and information needed to put EBM into practice.  The survey included 55 people involved in ocean and coastal management in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and U.S. and Canadian federal waters.  The report provides region-specific information on management issues to which practitioners seek to apply EBM, critical obstacles to implementing EBM, and tools and information needed to put EBM into practice.  Learn more. 

EBM Tools and Tools Training Needs Assessment

Results of a survey on what ecosystem-based management (EBM) practitioners need in terms of tools and capacity-building were released in September 2007. The Web and phone survey was prepared by Intelligent Marine Planning and the EBM Tools Network. Respondents shared their views on what they consider as the most severe problems for implementing EBM; the most critical needs for planning and implementing EBM; the importance of increasing awareness of EBM tools; and other data. [Please note: The Tools Training Needs Assessment document can be downloaded from the bottom of this page.]

Other Tool Needs 

The following list of tool needs is based on our analysis of what tools do or do not exist to support the different steps in the EBM process and discussions with EBM implementers and tool developers. We provide this list to stimulate tool development in these areas.

• "Framework" Tools to Support the EBM Process
  • Tools to guide practitioners through the EBM process and reference appropriate tools and case studies throughout the proces
• Tools that Account for Socioeconomic Factors
  • Tools to translate social knowledge and concerns into geospatial data layers
  • Tools that incorporate social and economic factors into prioritizing management actions
  • Tools that estimate the impact of management actions on social and economic goals
• Tools to Engage and Communicate with Stakeholders
  • User-friendly tools that allow stakeholders to learn about ecosystem processes and the relationships between ecological, social, and economic factors, possibly in a game-type format
  • Tools to help stakeholders visualize the impacts of possible management actions
• Tools that Account for Land-Sea Interactions
  • Tools that predict the impacts of terrestrial conservation and restoration actions on freshwater and coastal water quality and ecosystems
• Incorporation of Dynamic Ecosystem Processes in Planning and Management Tools
  • Planning and management tools that incorporate 3D and time-varying ecosystem processes, such as larval transport and pollutant dispersal
• Inclusion of Confidence Information in Tools
  • Tools that report the level of uncertainty for results
  • Tools that show to what degree uncertainty is due to data availability/quality, assumptions, or analytical models so further data collection/research can be targeted at these areas
• Tools that Help Develop and Implement Monitoring Plans
  • Tools that help develop measurable ecological, social, and economic indicators for monitoring
  • Tools that help develop scientifically-valid monitoring plans and monitoring budgets
• Tools that Support EBM Implementation
  • Tools that link elements for management with implementing institutions and provide information about pertinent regulatory constraints and permitting processes and available funding sources
  • Tools that help develop realistic implementation budgets
• Tools that Mine Data or Assist with Data Processing
  • Although data mining and processing tools are not generally considered EBM tools, getting data into tools is one of the biggest hurdles for using EBM tools
• Sustainable Business Models for Tools
  • Tools with sustainable long-term business models, including funding sources for model upgrades as platforms and technology change and tool user support