Lawrence A. Kapustka – författare

An important guide to assessing and managing the environment from a landscape perspective Ecological relationships are nested within the landscape. Identifying the relevant spatial and temporal scales is critical for an effective understanding of ecological functions that human societies depend upon. Moreover, human encroachment into natural areas, or changes in climate, can alter spatial relationships, which in turn can negatively affect vital plant and wildlife patterns—and weaken economic structures needed to sustain human societies. This book is the first to combine multiple disciplines into one cohesive strategy to study these crucial connections, and looks toward building a social paradigm that embraces the dynamics of ecological systems. This book: Integrates landscape ecology, environmental risk assessment, valuation of ecological goods and services, and environmental management decision processes into one single source Includes chapters on quantitative measures, Bayesian modeling,¿economic analysis, and sustainable landscapes Covers marine, forest, agricultural, and pharmaceutical risk assessment Has a chapter on predicting climate change risk to ecosystems Has a companion ftp site with color graphics, animations, and risk assessment tools With material that is accessible across all knowledge levels, Environmental Risk Assessment and Management from a Landscape Perspective moves beyond looking solely at chemical contaminants to diagnose environmental threats, and aims to accomplish practical risk assessment in a manner that supports long-term sustainable management.

An important guide to assessing and managing the environment from a landscape perspective

Ecological relationships are nested within the landscape. Identifying the relevant spatial and temporal scales is critical for an effective understanding of ecological functions that human societies depend upon. Moreover, human encroachment into natural areas, or changes in climate, can alter spatial relationships, which in turn can negatively affect vital plant and wildlife patterns—and weaken economic structures needed to sustain human societies. This book is the first to combine multiple disciplines into one cohesive strategy to study these crucial connections, and looks toward building a social paradigm that embraces the dynamics of ecological systems. This book:

Integrates landscape ecology, environmental risk assessment, valuation of ecological goods and services, and environmental management decision processes into one single source

Includes chapters on quantitative measures, Bayesian modeling,¿economic analysis, and sustainable landscapes

Covers marine, forest, agricultural, and pharmaceutical risk assessment

Has a chapter on predicting climate change risk to ecosystems

Has a companion ftp site with color graphics, animations, and risk assessment tools

With material that is accessible across all knowledge levels, Environmental Risk Assessment and Management from a Landscape Perspective moves beyond looking solely at chemical contaminants to diagnose environmental threats, and aims to accomplish practical risk assessment in a manner that supports long-term sustainable management.

Choosing the optimal management option requires environmental risk managers and decision makers to evaluate diverse, and not always congruent, needs and interests of multiple stakeholders. Understanding the trade-offs of different options as well as their legal, economic, scientific, and technological implications is critical to performing accurate assessments and making sound decisions.Valuation of Ecological Resources: Integration of Ecology and Socioeconomics in Environmental Decision Making examines various alternatives for determining the "e;value"e; of complex ecological resources. The book discusses how ecology, sociology, and economics influence environmental management decisions. The book further explores the scientific underpinnings of ecological valuation and the roles of regulatory and legislative bodies in the decision-making process. A series of case studies demonstrates the utility of various information sets, tools, and analytical frameworks. Summarizes the conclusions reached by the Ecological Risk Assessment Advisory Group during special workshops conducted by the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Written by leading experts from industry, academia, and environmental regulatory agencies, this new text is an excellent resource for self-study as well as for courses in industrial ecology, environmental management, ecological risk assessment, environmental policy, and strategies for sustainability and corporate responsibility.

As scientific disciplines are being integrated and considered collectively rather than individually the need to consider new approaches to address environmental issues is more important now than ever before.This book begins with a section that describes the State of the Science, tracing the major developments in the modern environmental era. Following the introduction, the book illustrates, through several case studies, the interactions of multiple stressors (i.e., biological, chemical, physical, and societal) in the environment and underscore the dynamics that reveal insights that would not be apparent if the stressors were evaluated singly.  These case studies address different levels of ecological complexity, biomes, and different social structures (for example freshwater, estuarine, marine, and terrestrial systems that are set within urban, rural, areas of multiple ethnicities including Indigenous Communities). The book concludes with a highlight of recent developments in analytical capacity in the fields of biology, chemistry, and ecology. Computational methods including artificial intelligence and machine learning; and techniques to illicit values of affected stakeholders; and application of conflict resolution techniques to reach agreed practices and policies are also covered.

Choosing the optimal management option requires environmental risk managers and decision makers to evaluate diverse, and not always congruent, needs and interests of multiple stakeholders. Understanding the trade-offs of different options as well as their legal, economic, scientific, and technological implications is critical to performing accurate assessments and making sound decisions.Valuation of Ecological Resources: Integration of Ecology and Socioeconomics in Environmental Decision Making examines various alternatives for determining the “value” of complex ecological resources. The book discusses how ecology, sociology, and economics influence environmental management decisions. The book further explores the scientific underpinnings of ecological valuation and the roles of regulatory and legislative bodies in the decision-making process. A series of case studies demonstrates the utility of various information sets, tools, and analytical frameworks. Summarizes the conclusions reached by the Ecological Risk Assessment Advisory Group during special workshops conducted by the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Written by leading experts from industry, academia, and environmental regulatory agencies, this new text is an excellent resource for self-study as well as for courses in industrial ecology, environmental management, ecological risk assessment, environmental policy, and strategies for sustainability and corporate responsibility.