Multidisciplinary higher education is critical for marine ecosystem sustainability

Background/Question/Methods

Many marine ecosystems are exploited beyond their sustainable levels. Various underlying scientific, political, economic, and social problems have been identified, but most of this information remains within the confines of those disciplines. For example, fisheries biologists and resource managers have been separated from the ocean sciences and ecological community. Fisheries managers often have little contact with historians. There has been little interaction among these groups, and especially between those having direct resource management responsibilities and social scientists. However, the concept of sustainably managing marine systems requires education of a new generation of scientists and stakeholders who are exposed to the many aspects of human-resource interactions. This training would include exposure to ecosystem ecology and modeling, fisheries science, climate science, applied statistics, oceanography, history, economics, and political science as well as to the complexities of user groups and the global pressures faced by the industry. We need good science and a multidisciplinary educational system that bridges the gaps between socio-ecological disciplines. We also believe that direct interaction with fishermen to understand their unique way of life is essential. 

Results/Conclusions

The increasing number of programs that seek to prepare young scientists with interdisciplinary research and training demonstrates a growing awareness of the importance of a multidisciplinary support system to protect living marine resources. We discuss the important role of higher education in marine ecosystem sustainability. We identify the current gaps in higher education curricula that impede natural resource sustainability and potential opportunities for integrating the different disciplines that contribute to sustainability science. We provide an example of this through a curriculum for a higher education program in marine resource sustainability. The future of ecosystem management practices largely depends on higher education programs that provide students with a broad perspective on the complex environmental challenges that threaten marine systems. Scientists and stakeholders who have the type of interdisciplinary training discussed here will be better equipped to embrace the challenges of sustainable management and remove barriers that preclude the integration of different disciplines into marine policy decisions.