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Past, present, and future of ecological integrity assessment for fresh waters
- Source :
- Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 15:197-205
- Publication Year :
- 2017
- Publisher :
- Wiley, 2017.
-
Abstract
- One of the most influential environmental laws in the US – the 1972 Clean Water Act – included the visionary objective of maintaining and restoring aquatic ecological integrity. However, the efficacy of the Act depends on how integrity is assessed. Reviewing the assessment literature for fresh waters over the past 40 years, we found evidence of methodological trends toward increased repeatability, transferability, and robustness of assessments over time. However, implementation gaps were revealed, based on the relatively weak linkages to freshwater policies, stakeholder involvement, emerging threats, and conservation opportunities. A related survey of assessment practitioners underscored the disparity between need versus availability of assessments that guide management policies. Technological changes in data collection and synthesis have clearly influenced assessments, and appear to have led to a reduced reliance on ecological response indicators and corresponding increases in stressor-based metrics. We recommend designing assessments around specific freshwater policies and regulations to improve applicability of assessment products for management and conservation.
- Subjects :
- 0106 biological sciences
Clean Water Act
Data collection
Ecology
Technological change
010604 marine biology & hydrobiology
Transferability
Stressor
Stakeholder
010501 environmental sciences
Integrity assessment
01 natural sciences
Business
Robustness (economics)
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 15409295
- Volume :
- 15
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........2634675300a21a8262a6b2ab14e5ea6a