Aquatic ecosystems can be defined by water quality, water quantity, habitat, and aquatic species. Protecting the aquatic environment is achieved through the active management and regulation of activities and water uses that affect these four elements.
The objectives of aquatic environment protection must be understood and considered in the development of any water management plan or resource planning activities.
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Meaning of Aquatic Environment Management
Aquatic Environmental Management can be defined as the management of the interaction and impact of human activities on the natural environment. Aquatic environmental management aims to ensure that aquatic ecosystem services and biodiversity are protected and maintained for equitable use by future generations.
It also seeks to maintain ecosystem integrity by considering ethical, economic, and ecological variables. Environmental management aims to identify the factors involved in conflicts between meeting human needs and protecting the environment.
Improved aquatic ecosystem management depends on understanding the impacts of management actions (fisheries, habitat, nutrient/contaminant management) in relation to other drivers of change such as climate, water levels, and species invasions.
Recently, emphasis has been placed on the development of dynamic predictive models for nutrients, ecosystems, and habitats to understand the relative importance of these influences. Ecosystem models are used to assess the compatibility of multiple objectives and to identify critical knowledge gaps.
There is recognition that goals set separately, rather than as part of an ecosystem framework, are unlikely to be compatible and may be counterproductive when implemented. As a result, there is greater understanding that fisheries management and habitat plans, traditionally developed separately, should be reconciled.
Benefits of Aquatic Environmental Management
The social, economic, and environmental benefits associated with aquatic environmental management include the following:
1. Social: Increased access to water points (for domestic, fisheries, and livestock use), improved water aesthetics, decreased disease outbreaks (bilharzia, cholera, malaria, etc.), increased riparian-based trade, and enhanced women’s empowerment.
2. Economic: Increased fish catches, stable transportation costs, enhanced tourism, release of intakes for irrigation, hydroelectricity generation, water supply systems, and potential use of harvested floating weeds.
3. Environmental: Less water loss, improved water quality, decreased potential for siltation and flooding, and stability of biodiversity and aquatic life.
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Strategies for Protecting the Aquatic Environment
A strategy for protecting the aquatic environment is a shared responsibility of the people and the government. The following are basic strategies that can be adopted for aquatic environment protection:
1. Maintenance of Existing Conditions: Maintaining the current state of the environment is key to the government’s commitment to protecting the aquatic environment. It is easier and less expensive to protect existing resources from degradation than to restore them after deterioration.
2. Restoration of Stressed Aquatic Environments: Where the aquatic environment is stressed beyond its limits, it may be desirable and feasible to change conditions to near their initial state rather than returning them to their natural conditions.
3. Improvement of Present Conditions Beyond Natural Levels: Improvements may be made beyond what naturally occurs to maximize the potential of the aquatic environment to support certain activities. These improvements are based on human values or needs. An example is the aeration of lakes to prevent fish kills or biological control of excessive aquatic weeds by introducing herbivorous fish species.
This article has outlined the meaning of aquatic environmental management and the strategies for protecting the aquatic environment. Readers should now be able to define and explain the management concept and understand the benefits of managing aquatic ecosystems.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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