Table 1.
Strategies used by GBRMPA for facilitating the transition to ecosystem-based management
| Strategies | Actions | Examples of barriers to change |
|---|---|---|
| Making internal organizational changes | Establishing Senior Managers Forum and four regional teams | Resource constraints |
| Providing clear and transparent leadership at the relevant levels within the organization | Inability to innovate or deal with surprise | |
| Communicating a shared vision and goals | Lack of direction, shared vision, engagement, trust, leadership, cross-sector cooperation, and communication | |
| Having few leaders exacerbates vulnerability | ||
| Bridging science and policy | Drawing on existing networks of scientists, managers and industry to promote dialogue | Science is fragmented |
| Workshops and forums for synthesizing knowledge | Lack of scientific certainty | |
| Communicating shared vision and goals | Different perceptions and views among scientists and managers, lack of trust | |
| Changing public perceptions | Clear, simple, and tailored stakeholder information from a communication professional | Different knowledge and interests among stakeholder groups |
| Visualizing the entire GBR as an interconnected ecosystem | Low awareness of problems, threats, and ecological interactions | |
| Creating a sense of urgency for conservation | ||
| Facilitating community participation and public consultation | Building trust with communities: personal interactions and regional teams | Lack of trust |
| Community information sessions | Conflicting views among key actor groups, misinformation | |
| Recasting problems as opportunities | Outreach to local communities difficult | |
| Periodic updates on the rezoning process | Lack of leadership | |
| Innovative submission routines | ||
| Gaining political support | Prepared for change: politically expert staff, timing actions, having relevant information ready | Change of people in power |
| Briefing key players well before the new zoning plan | Lack of support from key politicians | |
| Allying with other key actor groups | Zoning plans can be stopped | |
| Pollsters for leverage and monitoring public opinion | Opposing views |