Dedication to Peter Douglas (August 22, 1942–April 1, 2012)

Ecosystem management has been deemed a promising approach to environmental management in many settings. The ecosystem approach promises improved use of scientific information, better management coordination, and more meaningful public participation in environmental decision making. Yet, there is little evidence for how well ecosystem management efforts actually achieve their goals. This article presents an in‐depth analysis of one ecosystem management effort, the Albemarle‐Pamlico Estuarine Study (APES), which was part of the National Estuary Program. The APES failed to meet the objectives of ecosystem management in several visible ways. However, this case study reveals that the APES also had many positive results that were less visible to participants and observers. The performance of the APES is explained with reference to seven paradoxes inherent in the concept of ecosystem management. These findings have implications for appropriate expectations and evaluation of other ecosystem management efforts.