As the preservation of natural lands and the management of human- impacted environments move closer together under the name 'ecosystem management,' there is a strong need for guidelines that will help direct the process of planning of public and private lands. This book is a rich set of protocols that will direct the process of assessing the ecological make-up of lands for the purpose of guiding environmental decision-making.

From the reviews:

"A guidebook for integrated ecological assessments provides a useful and well-organized collection of contributions that may help standardize ecological assessment procedures. the chapters are very well written the figures and tables efficiently illustrate main points in the chapter. The references and suggested reading sections at the end of each chapter provide a wealth of informative resources . This book would be a very useful resource for those participating in, organizing, or just interested in ecological assessment." (Audrey L. Mayer, Ecology, Vol. 82 (12), 2001)

"Ecological assessments are a critical component of land management planning and regulatory decision-making. the main intent of this book is to describe topics with particular importance to strategic integrated ecological assessments at a regional or sub-regional scale. the book provides both theoretical and practical advice for future ecological assessments given specific land-use planning objectives." (Giancarlo Barbiroli, International Journal of Environment and Pollution, Vol. 18 (1), 2002)

"This compendium includes some practical information on data acquisition, including sampling design and analysis, the use of remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems. ... All of these processes are brought together in a series of case studies at the close of the book providing apt illustrations of the application of the ideas outlined." (Bulletin of the British Ecological Society, Vol. 33 (1), 2002)

Inhalt
1 Basic Principles.- 1 An Overview of Ecological Assessment Principles and Applications.- 2 A Theoretical Framework for Ecological Assessment.- 3 Ecosystem Characterization and Ecological Assessments.- 4 Adaptive Ecosystem Assessment and Management: The Path of Last Resort?.- 2 Information Management.- 5 Data Acquisition.- 6 Sampling Design and Statistical Inference for Ecological Assessment.- 7 General Data Collection and Sampling Design Considerations for Integrated Regional Ecological Assessments.- 8 Ecological Data Storage, Management, and Dissemination.- 9 Integration of Physical, Biological, and Socioeconomic Information.- 3 Basic Techniques.- 10 Remote Sensing Applied to Ecosystem Management.- 11 Geographic Information Science and Ecological Assessment.- 12 Decision Support for Ecosystem Management and Ecological Assessments.- 4 Analytical Methods: Concepts.- 13 Elements of Spatial Data Analysis in Ecological Assessments.- 14 Applications of Fractal Geometry and Percolation Theory to Landscape Analysis and Assessments.- 15 Fuzzy Statistical and Modeling Approach to Ecological Assessments.- 16 Measuring Ecosystem Values.- 17 Economic Linkages to Natural Resources.- 5 Analytical Methods: Applications.- 18 Ecosystem Structure and Function Modeling.- 19 Methods for Determining Historical Range of Variability.- 20 Representativeness Assessments.- 21 Methods of Economic Impact Analysis.- 6 Ecosystem Characterization.- 22 Elements of Ecological Land Classifications for Ecological Assessments.- 23 Dynamic Terrestrial Ecosystem Patterns and Processes.- 24 Ecological Classification and Mapping of Aquatic Systems.- 25 Geomorphic Patterns, Processes, and Perspectives in Aquatic Assessment.- 26 Assessment of Biotic Patterns in Freshwater Ecosystems.- 27 Characterizing the Human Imprint on Landscapes for Ecological Assessment.- 28 Assessing Human Processes in Society: Environment Interactions.- 29 Mapping Patterns of Human Use and Potential Resource Conflicts on Public Lands.- 7 Case Studies.- 30 The Great Lakes Ecological Assessment.- 31 Upper Mississippi River Adaptive Environmental Assessment.- 32 Southern Appalachian Case Study.- 33 Northern Forest Lands Case Study.- 34 Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project.- 8 Implementation Strategies.- 35 Ecological Assessments and Implementing Ecosystem Management: Challenges, Opportunities, and the Road Ahead.