Fondazione Dohrn, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Università Federico II Napoli, CNR-IAS Genova, Italy.
Adv Mar Biol. 2024;97:167-189. doi: 10.1016/bs.amb.2024.07.003. Epub 2024 Aug 9.
The Cells of Ecosystem Functioning are natural units of management and conservation, allowing for an ecosystem-based maritime spatial planning based on an accurate knowledge of marine biodiversity and ecosystem functioning which, however, is presently insufficient and fragmentary. A five-step roadmap to fill current knowledge gaps and make ecosystem-based marine sustainability possible is proposed: Step 1: make the inventory of biodiversity. Step 2: unveil the roles of species. Step 3: understand the ecological relationships that link species with each other and with the physical environment. Step 4: frame marine biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in a five dimensional spatial and temporal context (the Cells of Ecosystem Functioning). Step 5: plan our activities so as to preserve a healthy state of ecosystems. EU legislation has drawn a careful map to guide us along this road, with a series of directives that, if successfully enforced, will be conducive to knowledge-based marine sustainability.
生态系统功能的单元是管理和保护的自然单位，允许基于对海洋生物多样性和生态系统功能的准确了解进行基于生态系统的海洋空间规划，然而，目前这方面的知识既不充分也不完整。为了填补当前的知识空白并使基于生态系统的海洋可持续性成为可能，提出了一个五步路线图：步骤 1：编制生物多样性清单。步骤 2：揭示物种的作用。步骤 3：了解将物种相互连接以及与物理环境相互连接的生态关系。步骤 4：在一个五维时空背景下构建海洋生物多样性和生态系统功能（生态系统功能单元）。步骤 5：规划我们的活动，以保持生态系统的健康状态。欧盟立法制定了一张精心绘制的地图，指导我们沿着这条路走下去，一系列指令如果得到成功执行，将有利于基于知识的海洋可持续性。
