Risk and response in watershed ecosystems: Expanding the value of ecological risk assessments

Conference · Sun Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:191272

Marcy, S K.M. ^[1]

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1. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC (United States)

Ecological risk assessments have primarily been used to either predict, or retrospectively evaluate, the adverse effects of chemical stressors on selected ecological resources. While useful in many applications, this focus has limited value when ecological resources are simultaneously impacted by diverse chemical, physical and biological stressors, a situation typical in watersheds. With an increased emphasis on ecosystem management and watershed protection, it is critical to provide a scientific basis for evaluating and prioritizing risk and predicting the response of resources to management efforts. An expanded ecological risk assessment methodology can provide this scientific framework for improving watershed assessments by: (1) predicting both the risk and response of ecological resources to a potential range of management options, (2) including retrospective, current status, and predictive evaluations, and (3) addressing multiple diverse stressors. The effectiveness of using ecological risk assessments to improve management and decision making at the watershed level will be discussed based on the development of five watershed case studies.

• OSTI ID: 191272
• Report Number(s): CONF-9511137--; ISBN 1-880611-03-1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
POLLUTANTS
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
RISK ASSESSMENT
WATER QUALITY
WATER RESOURCES
WATERSHEDS