The ecosystem approach was firstly established at the Fifth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biodiversity, which was held in May 2000 in Nairobi. The ecosystem approach is a “strategy for the integrated management of land, water and living resources, aimed at their protection and sustainable use based on equity”.

The ecosystem approach is a tool that allows countries to consider connections within ecosystems with other ecosystems and people for whom these ecosystems are the place of residence. This approach allows to move away from market relations, for example, considering fish resources only as a commodity, and come to a multilateral view: use all the knowledge, act on different spatial and temporal scales. An ecosystem approach is needed to ensure the long-term sustainability of biological diversity and the development of nowadays understanding of sustainable environmental management.

In 2002, the World Forum on Sustainable Development was held in Johannesburg. According to the results of the Forum, a Declaration was approved, which indicates that the oceans, seas and coastal areas are an integral component of the terrestrial ecosystem and important for world food security, sustainable economic prosperity and the welfare of national economies, especially developing countries.

Also, the Declaration recommended by 2010 to ensure the universal introduction of an ecosystem approach to coastal management at the national level, including assistance to coastal states in the preparation of maritime policies and mechanisms for integrated coastal zone management.

Following the 2004 Global Ministerial Environment Forum, held in Jeju, Republic of Korea, the ministers noted that integrated water resources management should include an ecosystem approach as a basis for achieving the Millennium Goals adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2000.

The formation of the principle of the ecosystem approach indicates that the idea of ​​such a principle is not new, but even now there is still a lot to be research to apply in the framework of the conservation of marine resources. The variability of terminology and definitions of the ecosystem approach creates confusion and, as a result, different opinions on how this principle should be implemented in national legislation. The lack of consensus on the part of the world community organizes a hole between theory and practice, and prevents the successful implementation of the principle.

The ecosystem approach is one of the strategies for managing and conserving resources, for example, national parks, reserves, as well as other programs and approaches for the conservation of species.The ecosystem approach is a decision-making measure that takes into account the interests of all actors and the ecosystem as a whole. Thus, the decisions made are reasonable, transparent and understandable, and also more real and more specifically correspond to the conditions of the region.

The following sources were used in writing the article:

UN doc. UNEP/CBD/COP/DEC/VII/11

UN doc. A/CONF.199/20

LONG, Rachel D.; CHARLES, A.; and STEPHENSON, Robert L. Key principle of marine ecosystem-based management, 10.1016/j.marpol.2015.01.013