I will begin with several examples of ecological systems that raise important issues of management approaches: invasive species and coral reef ecosystems. I will then present general approaches that can be used to address management problems for these systems as well as other systems. Themes will include the role played by simple models on the one hand, and the importance of recognizing nonlinearities and the possibility of tipping points. An overall important theme will be the need to focus on appropriate biological time scales, and the limitations of management options available for ecological systems.