Organizational arrangements for ecosystem management

Abstract Any ecosystem which is affected by human activities can be considered as an object of management: Someone uses the ecosystem for some purpose within an economic, legal and social framework. There exist various organizational arrangements for this. The efficiency and appropriateness of each arrangement depend on factors like: The character (private or public) of the owner, the acceptable quality levels, the desired present and future use, and the extent of the resulting external economies. This paper examines and evaluates the possible arrangements for managing ecosystems. It is argued that the feasible arrangements are government service, intergovernment agreement, contract, and franchised‐subsidized enterprise. These arrangements are then evaluated, on the basis of efficiency, effectiveness, equity, stability, and decentralization, and some conclusions are drawn.