Abstract
Ecological assessment of natural and human-managed systems need not be a shot in the dark or a hopeful guess about processes and impacts. There is a surprisingly large body of theory that can inform ecological assessment and the prediction of change for ecosystems. This body of theory can be used to structure the way that we investigate systems, the way we interpret the results of our investigations, and the management decisions that we make based on the assessment. It is critically important that we narrow any assessment to those things that specifically and coherently address the focal question of the assessment (e.g., forest health, biodiversity, sustainable economic development). We have theories that can help us to do so. Paramount among them are theories of hierarchical organization, landscape ecology, and system dynamics. These theories provide us with a conceptual framework within which we can address the most important and difficult questions facing ecological science and management. How do we understand the ecosystems that we manage so that we can make decisions that will sustain these systems for our future?
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Turner, S.J., Johnson, A.R. (2001). A Theoretical Framework for Ecological Assessment. In: Jensen, M.E., Bourgeron, P.S. (eds) A Guidebook for Integrated Ecological Assessments. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8620-7_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8620-7_3
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