|
After you have created the stressor-response analysis, but before
you can link your collected measures of effects to assessment endpoints,
you need to clearly establish the relationship between cause (one
or more stressors) and effect (response to the stressor[s]).
To accomplish this, you can use observational evidence
(for example, bird kills are associated with a field application
of a pesticide) or experimental data (for example, laboratory
tests with the pesticide in question show bird kills at levels similar
to those found in the field).
The more evidence you have, the stronger the case for causality.
However, many situations don't fit into formal experimentation.
In these cases, assessors are forced to rely solely on observational
data. Scientists have identified several criteria to support a plausible
argument for cause and effect based largely on observation rather
than experiment. We will explore these further on the next screens
Relevant
guidelines section(s): 4.3.1.2
|
