To help sustain ecosystems and their many benefits in coastal communities, researchers at Brown University, the University of Michigan, and Duke University have launched a new website with 65 case studies that highlight lessons learned from marine ecosystem-based management (MEBM) projects around the globe. These case studies are designed to show how MEBM can work in the real world. “Our team researched and developed some of the most in-depth case studies in this collection,” said Heather Leslie, the Sharpe Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies and Biology, who works with postdoctoral scholar Leila Sievanen on the project. “What we found from places as diverse as Mexico, the western Pacific, and California is that social and ecological context plays a crucial role in determining the institutions needed to implement MEBM.” Although the Brown researchers focused on areas in the Pacific Ocean, several New England case studies are available on the site, including Rhode Island’s own Narragansett Bay.

Read more