The Ecological Society of America described eight elements of ecosystem management that are being employed by the DNR for managing Michigan's natural resources.

1. Sustainability: Ecosystem management does not focus primarily on deliverables but rather regards intergenerational sustainability as a precondition.
2. Goals: Ecosystem management establishes measurable goals that specify future processes and outcomes necessary for sustainability.
3. Sound Ecological Models and Understanding: Ecosystem management relies on research performed at all levels of ecological organization.
4. Complex and Connectedness: Ecosystem management recognizes that biological diversity and structural complexity strengthen ecosystems against disturbance and supply the genetic resources necessary to adapt to long-term change.
5. The Dynamic Character of Ecosystems: Recognizing that change and evolution are inherent in ecosystem sustainability, ecosystem management avoids attempts to freeze ecosystems in a particular state of configuration.
6. Context and Scale: Ecosystem processes operate over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales, and their behavior at any given location is greatly affected by surrounding systems. Thus, there is no single appropriate scale or timeframe for management.
7. Humans as Ecosystem Components: Ecosystem management values the active role of humans in achieving sustainable management goals.
8. Adaptability and Accountability: Ecosystem management acknowledges that current knowledge and paradigms of ecosystem functions are provisional, incomplete, and subject to change. Management approaches must be viewed as hypotheses to be tested by research and monitoring programs.