Uses of the Framework

The EBM Framework is intended to be evergreen and used at different spatial and temporal scales.  Following and expanding upon previous work, five broad areas of use have been envisioned for the EBM Framework (Figure: 5 uses, 19). It is designed to be used in whole or in part, in single or multiple sector decision-making processes and for single or multiple activities. The five uses of the EBM Framework are premised on DFO’s objective/outcome based approach to management, and provides the candidate objectives to be used in different decision making contexts. The five uses are: (1) Checklist of objectives, (2) Evaluating policies and management approaches, (3) Scenario comparison, (4) Management report card and (5) Cumulative effects and tradeoffs.

1. Checklist of objectives – the four pillars provide a checklist of objectives to be considered in the development of management plans. This follows the example of the use of the EAM Framework to develop objectives for IFMPs and MPA plans in the Maritimes Region  (Curran et al., 2012) and can be extended to other plans such as Species at Risk recovery documents, habitat recovery plans, ESA establishment, management planning, etc. It is not proposed that all objectives across the four pillars will be relevant to every plan, but that all should be considered for relevancy.

2. Evaluating policies and management approaches - current DFO policies and management approaches, some of which date back to the 1990s, may not embrace the full holistic spectrum of current EBM thinking, as outlined in the EBM Framework. Therefore, the EBM Framework can be used to evaluate how current policies and management approaches align with EBM objectives, and develop recommendations for updates where appropriate. We posit that considering a broader suite of objectives would lead to more successful policies and management approaches. The next step would be to then use this broader suite of objectives to explore different management scenarios.

3. Scenario comparison – in the complex world of decision making, clear objectives are required to evaluate different potential management options or scenarios. These provide the basis for transparent, evidence-informed decisions and is the case whether decisions are for a single sector or multiple sectors. The objectives of the Governance, Ecological, Economic and Social and Cultural Pillars of the EBM Framework provide a holistic basis for comparison across scenarios. 

4. Management report card – successful management is adaptive and learns from past decisions. The EBM Framework can be used as the basis for assessing management success against the relevant objectives, thus forming a management report card. Ideally management plans will have been developed or evaluated and updated using the EBM Framework (see first two uses above). In this case, indicators would be used to assess whether the objectives have been met, identify objectives that may need more focus in the future and possibly, identify the need to adjust the management plan to better meet all objectives. 

5. Cumulative effects, risk assessment and tradeoffs – assessing the cumulative effects of activities, the risks associated with them and the potential trade-offs among them is the basis for EBM, Integrated Management, Marine Spatial Planning and the Blue Economy, i.e., the holistic management of aquatic resource use. Essential to the assessment of cumulative effects is the development of a common currency with which to evaluate cumulative effects, risk and trade-offs. Common core objectives across the activities of concern, as provided by the EBM Framework, can provide this common currency using quantitative or qualitative measures.

For further details, see technical report describing the EBM Framework here