Author Shepherd, G.

Year of publication 2004

The Ecosystem Approach is a strategy for the integrated management of land, water and living resources that promotes conservation and sustainable use in an equitable way. It is the primary framework for action under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and comprises 12 Principles. In considering how to best implement the Ecosystem Approach, several attempts have been made to rank the principles, either by order of importance or according to theme. While these efforts are interesting conceptually, what has been lacking so far is practical assistance in applying the Ecosystem Approach in the field. The IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM) has produced this document as a move towards filling the gap. A subsets of Ecosystem Approach Principles have been clustered into a logical sequence which encourages discussion, planning and step-by-step action.