Aquatic Invasive Species Management in the Great Lakes Current research

Biological invasions by nonindigenous species have severe impacts on aquatic ecosystems. Despite considerable environmental policy and regulation, biological invasions are becoming increasingly problematic. A usually overlooked barrier to invasive species control is the complex socio-political landscape in which invasions occur. This project addresses the governance structure of aquatic invasive species in the Great Lakes via the study of “institutional fit,” the idea that conservation management is more effective when regulations and control efforts are matched to specific social-ecological conditions, such as interconnected water bodies or species that depend on each other.

The goal of the project is to study the policy stakeholders involved in management decisions and other actors who influence the ecological processes of invasion and restoration and their relationships with biological and ecological factors driving invasion processes. I use biological data related to the Great Lakes ecosystems, paired with data on the institutions and actors involved to develop a thorough description and explanation of the challenges around the management of this complex social-ecological system. This project has the potential to shape our understanding of complex fresh-water governance systems as well as meaningful policy implications for the development of invasive species regulations and policy.

You can read a short description of the project recently published in Lakes Letter (Winter 2022), a quarterly publication from the International Association for Great Lakes Research (click here).

One of the goals we are interested in is describing the overall structure of the governance network related to management and control of Aquatic Invasive Species across the Great Lakes.

For this, we are working towards:

• Identifying all stakeholders participating in aquatic invasive species governance in the Great Lakes.
• Identifying and characterizing the patterns of information and resource exchanges among stakeholders.
• Identifying and characterizing the patterns of coordination and collaboration among stakeholders.

A great deal of effort has been put into thoroughly tracking and describing the ecological system around aquatic species. However, we know that effective management depends also on the social-ecological fit. We are also exploring the degree to which the governance system is aligned with the ecosystem (social-ecological fit).

For this, we are working towards:

• Examining the existence and characteristics of horizontal ties (relationships between actors within organizational hierarchies) and vertical ties (relationships between actors across organizational hierarchies) in collaboration, information, and resource sharing.
• Examining the role of governance networks (horizontal and vertical ties) to enhance and inhibit collaboration, coordination, and sharing.
• Identifying the management actions (‘social-ecological’ connections) actors engage in.
• Examining the degree to which ties among actors at spatial scales are adequately aligned with the environmental problems these actors address.

This project is still in its early stages, and I will update this site as we start analyzing the data and building insights. If you want to know more about the project, reach out to me at fholm [at] umich [dot] edu.