Introduction

This textbook is really overdue. It’s been planned for years, but as an undertaking without a deadline and a project without deliverables, it could be postponed till later. That’s still the case, but now is the time, deliverables or no deliverables, time to just drop everything and write.

With the textbook, we provide a basis for courses in ecosystem modelling based on the Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) modelling framework and software. EwE is a versatile approach with a low but very long (and gradually steeping) learning curve.

We have been involved in the development of EwE for more than thirty years, and during that time the simple Ecopath mass-balance approach it started with has through the addition of time and spatial-dynamic models, among others, been expanded to become a dynamic toolbox that can be used to address anything from simple fundamental research questions to very complex management and policy questions related to ecosystem-based management.

It’s been a guiding principle throughout the development of EwE to provide an easy-to-access approach that does not require extensive mathematical or programming capabilities to get started. Model first, ask later is the philosophy. We think by just getting started with modelling, you gain insight and can start asking fundamental questions about how components of ecosystems interplay. Diving deeper is important, but we have sought to make the initial getting-started as simple and accessible as possible.

The textbook reflects our dedication to accessibility. We have chosen to develop an “open textbook”, i.e. a textbook that is freely available on the web, that can be downloaded as a pdf, and also obtained as a printed textbook from booksellers in many countries. We are using the open book creation platform, PressBooks as implemented by BCcampus, which has several advantages.  It is not only freely available, but also that it is straightforward to update the materials as new developments occur. Compared to printed, traditional textbooks, this is indeed one of the major advantages. We can also include media and interactive materials to liven up things a bit (in the online and pdf versions).

It’s also important to us that the textbook is distributed with a Creative Commons (CC-BY-NC-SA) license. This makes it straightforward to adapt copies of the textbook, e.g., for you to use in your own courses. We indeed invite you to do so.

We have organized the textbook to focus on background, modelling aspects and to include tutorials with hands-on that illustrate many of the aspects (the “what” and “why”). The textbook is, however, not intended to be an in-depth description of everything in EwE. To supplement the textbook, with the “how”, we refer to an accompanying publication, the EwE User Guide, which has been updated, overhauled, and also made accessible through BCcampus.

We have heard on many occasions that there is a strong, unfilled demand for training courses in ecosystem modelling with EwE. There are so many projects in progress around the world that includes EwE modelling, but there are very few instructors. While we have developed and shared course materials for years, there has never been a concerted action as represented by this textbook and the accompanying User Guide.

We hope both will be useful.