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Ecological Assessment in Ecosystem Management
The National Science and Technology Council recently published a book, Ecological Risk Assessment in the Federal Government, that evaluates the use and potential use of ecological risk assessment in Federal agencies. The book is the result of a two-year interagency effort of the Council. One of the chapters, co-authored by Robert T. Lackey, Western Ecology Division, evaluates the role of risk assessment in implementing ecosystem management. Ecosystem management is currently the dominant approach used by Federal land management agencies, while risk assessment is the dominant regulatory approach used by EPA. The authors concluded that risk assessment could potentially be useful in implementing ecosystem management, but the "problem formulation" aspect of risk assessment would be its most challenging feature. (Contact: Robert T. Lackey, 541-754-4601, lackey@mail.cor.epa.gov)