Ecosystem-based management is an environmental management approach that recognizes the full range of interactions that occur within an ecosystem, including humans; it considers everything, avoiding considering single issues, species, or ecosystem services as independent parts (Christensen et al. 1996, McLeod et al. 2005). An ecosystem-based approach is especially important when a region has both terrestrial and aquatic parts to manage, like the Kanawha River does.
The Clean Water Act already has some ecosystem-based qualities because it incorporates a variety of management policies into one in order to recognize every part of the ecosystem. By managing the Kanawha river as an ecosystem instead of just focusing on the eco-services it provides, allows for a more comprehensive management strategy as well as broader benefits. Although there is some ecosystem-based management in place, a stricter policy and better enforcement will help ensure that this management policy works properly so that all the benefits can be reaped. A closely followed ecosystem-based management policy accompanied with the Spill Bill will improve the Kanawha not only for human consumption, but for the environment and ecosystem as a whole.