Lessons from the Experiment in Estuarine Governance: Establishing Evaluative Criteria

Estuary governance is often subjected to critical scrutiny utlizing three management concepts: management should be comprehensive, wholistic and integrated. We refer to these criteria as the trinity of ecosystem management concepts. Here we argue that such concepts are unrealistic and fundamentally misleading. In light of behavioral research findings, we argue for a set of strategic criteria which take into account the constraints of the management task environment.