The ‘species-by-species’, or ‘stock-by-stock’ approach in the case of fisheries, characterized 20th century ecology. The ecosystem-based approach, which in the case of fisheries emerged at the end of the 20th century, represents the 'new frontier', the 21st century revolution in ecology.

GIS Posidonie is proud to announce that an International Workshop on Ecosystem-based Management will be held in Marseille, France, from 4th to 5^th of February 2020, Oceanomed, MIO-Pytheas, Campus de Luminy, Aix Marseille University.

According to the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, the Ecosystem-based Approach (EA) should enable us to understand and assess the functioning of Marine and Coastal Ecosystems and their dependent services. As an integrated management process, this strategy promotes both conservation and sustainable use and provides benefits in a more equitable way. First used for fisheries management, the EA has become a valuable tool for ecosystem services assessment and for marine protected areas (MPA) monitoring and governance, especially in the Mediterranean Sea. In addition, the perception that man belongs to ecosystems (socio-ecosystems) is a key feature of the EA.

The aim of organising a Workshop on Ecosystem-based Management in Marseille is to bring together managers, stakeholders and the scientific community to discuss this crucial topic within the framework of the Integrated LIFE MarHa project, headed by the French Agency of Biodiversity and set up by the European Union.

The Workshop will be a two-day event, consisting in plenary sessions introduced by key-note speakers and concluded by general discussions. The focus of the sessions has not yet been defined in detail and will depend on the number and the scopes of submitted contributions. But the main topics will include: Ecosystem-based Approach for fisheries management, Ecosystem Services assessment, Ecosystem-based monitoring, Ecosystem-based Approach for MPA management and conservation, Ecosystem-based Approach for terrestrial ecosystems and social-ecosystem-based approach. The International Workshop will focus on Marine and Coastal Ecosystems of the Mediterranean Sea but could host contributions dealing with any other European ecosystems.