Integrated Ecological Assessments and Land-Use Planning

A requirement for ecological information to identify, quantify, and evaluate the potential impact of land-use decisions on ecosystems has been recognized for some time (Everett et al. 1994; O’Callaghan 1996;Boyce and Haney 1997; Lyle 1999; Treweek 1999; Jensen et al. 2001). The process of integrated ecological assessment (IEA) has been developed to provide a comprehensive description of the ecosystem patterns, processes, and functions, including relevant socio-political factors, needed to synthesize our knowledge of ecological and human systems. IEA techniques are rooted in ecological, social, and economic sciences. IEAs incorporate evaluation of the implications of human activities, including production of land-management scenarios. They should be part of integrated systems of environmental regulation that include strategic planning, objective setting, performance standards, monitoring, and review of the entire process (Treweek 1999). Recent applications of IEAs (see case studies in [1998] and [2001]) represent the integration of a number of approaches developed in response to specific problems, socio-political contexts, national legislation, and international accords (see review in [1999]; see also [1999]; and [1999]). Various terms have been used to describe all or part of the process of assessing the state of the environment and its relationship to economic development.