The Ecosystem Approach has long served as a collaborative framework for governing, researching and stewarding the health of the Great Lakes. Operationalized through the Great Lakes Areas of Concern, this framework and the resultant remedial action plans (RAPs) have resulted in local solutions and partnerships that will continue to evolve and grow towards improved relationships, research and management into the future.

This project was initiated in 2019, paused during the pandemic, and involves a broad range of science-management practitioners in the Great Lakes and globally. On August 22-24, 2022 we held a 3-day hybrid virtual and in-person event, hosted at the University of Windsor situated in the Traditional Territory of the Three Fires Confederacy and the heart of the Great Lakes basin. This hybrid model – the first of its’ kind –combined a one-day international conference followed by multiple synthesis workshops focused on the key dimensions of the Ecosystem Approach in practice. We welcomed diverse knowledge systems and expertise, inclusive modes of engagement and participation, and the this Phase of the project is generating a set of outputs include and extend beyond a special monograph, book, traveling discussion series and contribution to the Great Lakes Public Forum.  

View the original conference website here: Ecosystems Approach Conference

Conference Program & Synthesis Workshops Program

Proceedings

Looking Forward

We’re now in the next phase of the project, which will involve a series of dialogue circles and workshops through 2023, to seek input and engage in thoughtful debate around the implementation of an Ecosystem Approach in various contexts across the Great Lakes. Participants and organizations will range widely in scope and expertise, and we seek to use these discussions to inform policy-relevant recommendations for how boundary organizations, actors and teams can better support and accelerate more strategic, holistic and partnership-driven efforts.

A synthesis of the final report produced will be shared on our webpage, here.

Sign up to our mail list to receive our final report, here