6 Slow change can become an irreversible rapid shift into a new state. Thus, man-
agement needs to consider that the ecosystem can occur in multiple states. Some of
these can be natural but others can be artifacts of human disturbance.
7 Ecosystems are not static and, therefore, management cannot aim to maintain the
status quo, but rather should allow natural change to take place. It is likely that these
changes are oscillatory in that they return to previous conditions after a time.
8 Within protected areas, management should distinguish between natural change
and direct human-induced change. Protected areas can act as ecological baselines where
human-induced change is kept to a minimum, and the system can then be compared
with areas outside, influenced by human activity.
9 Long-term baseline data are fundamental to conservation management, because they
provide the background to interpret causes of change and hence determine the course
of management.384 Chapter 21