The ecological risk assessment process has several features that
contribute to effective environmental decision-making.
| An iterative process allows... |
new information to be added into risk assessments, which can
be used to improve environmental decision making. This feature
is consistent with adaptive management principles used in managing
natural resources. |
| Risk assessments can be used to... |
express changes in ecological effects as a function of changes
in exposure to stressors. This may be particularly useful to
the decision-maker who must evaluate tradeoffs, alternatives,
or how much must be reduced to achieve a given outcome. |
| Risk assessments explicitly evaluate... |
uncertainty. Uncertainty analysis describes the degree of
confidence in the assessment and can help focus future efforts
on the areas that will lead to the greatest reductions in uncertainty. |
| Risk assessments provide... |
a basis for comparing, ranking, and prioritizing risks. The
results can also be used in other analyses that compare alternative
management options. |
| Risk assessments consider... |
management goals as well as scientific issues. This helps
ensure that results will be useful to risk managers. |
How Does Ecological Risk Assessment Contribute to Effective Environmental
Decision-Making? (Text Version)