Ecosystem-based management (ESBM) is an emerging approach to managing natural resources that involves multiple stakeholders finding collaborative solutions to complex resource management issues from a whole-system perspective. For several years, researchers have been asking what makes some ecosystem-based management efforts more successful than others. To date, investigations have focused on describing how ESBM differs from traditional resource management approaches, describing outcomes (e.g., participant satisfaction, decision quality) of ESBM processes, and identifying the social structures that promote or inhibit ESBM efforts.; Despite all the recent attention to ESBM groups, we still have limited understanding of how multi-stakeholder groups organize and function over time as they attempt to implement an ESBM approach. The purpose of this investigation was to compare the practice of ESBM with the concept of ESBM as described in the literature through an in-depth case study describing and exploring the actions and interactions of the Little Miami River Partnership (LMRP) Board of Directors as they implemented an ecosystem-based approach to managing the Little Miami River watershed. The primary methods of data collection were in-depth interviews with Board of Directors (herafter referred to as Board) members and observations of Board meetings. Data were analyzed in relation to ESBM concepts.; Findings from this study indicate a high correspondence of ESBM practice and theory. The LMRP Board of Directors were concerned with broad-based stakeholder involvement in collaborative resource management planning from a whole system perspective. Board members had difficulty defining the group's purpose and developing goals for collaboration and coordination. The group was characterized by flexible roles and ambiguity around the issue of representation. Findings from the study suggest the need for more research integrating group communication and ESBM theory.
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