Environmental management: Integrating ecological evaluation, remediation, restoration, natural resource damage assessment and long-term stewardship on contaminated lands

Joanna Burger

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2008.06.041

Environmental management: Integrating ecological evaluation, remediation, restoration, natural resource damage assessment and long-term stewardship on contaminated lands

Joanna Burger

School of Arts and Sciences, Center for Collaborative Neuroscience

Rutgers, The State University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

70 Scopus citations

Abstract

Ecological evaluation is essential for remediation, restoration, and Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA), and forms the basis for many management practices. These include determining status and trends of biological, physical, or chemical/radiological conditions, conducting environmental impact assessments, performing remedial actions should remediation fail, managing ecosystems and wildlife, and assessing the efficacy of remediation, restoration, and long-term stewardship. The objective of this paper is to explore the meanings of these assessments, examine the relationships among them, and suggest methods of integration that will move environmental management forward. While remediation, restoration, and NRDA, among others, are often conducted separately, it is important to integrate them for contaminated land where the risks to ecoreceptors (including humans) can be high, and the potential damage to functioning ecosystems great. Ecological evaluations can range from inventories of local plants and animals, determinations of reproductive success of particular species, levels of contaminants in organisms, kinds and levels of effects, and environmental impact assessments, to very formal ecological risk assessments for a chemical or other stressor. Such evaluations can range from the individual species to populations, communities, ecosystems or the landscape scale. Ecological evaluations serve as the basis for making decisions about the levels and kinds of remediation, the levels and kinds of restoration possible, and the degree and kinds of natural resource injuries that have occurred because of contamination. Many different disciplines are involved in ecological evaluation, including biologists, conservationists, foresters, restoration ecologists, ecological engineers, economists, hydrologist, and geologists. Since ecological evaluation forms the basis for so many different types of environmental management, it seems reasonable to integrate management options to achieve economies of time, energy, and costs. Integration and iteration among these disciplines is possible only with continued interactions among practitioners, regulators, policy-makers, Native American Tribes, and the general public.

Original language	American English
Pages (from-to)	6-19
Number of pages	14
Journal	Science of the Total Environment
Volume	400
Issue number	1-3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2008.06.041
State	Published - Aug 1 2008

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Environmental Engineering
Environmental Chemistry
Waste Management and Disposal
Pollution

Keywords

Buffers
Contamination
Ecological evaluations
Ecological protection
Environmental management
Natural resource damage assessment (NRDA)
Remediation
Restoration
Stewardship
Sustainability

Access to Document

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2008.06.041

Cite this

@article{51ccb4396b524601ac14a6ab2ecf33cf,

title = "Environmental management: Integrating ecological evaluation, remediation, restoration, natural resource damage assessment and long-term stewardship on contaminated lands",

abstract = "Ecological evaluation is essential for remediation, restoration, and Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA), and forms the basis for many management practices. These include determining status and trends of biological, physical, or chemical/radiological conditions, conducting environmental impact assessments, performing remedial actions should remediation fail, managing ecosystems and wildlife, and assessing the efficacy of remediation, restoration, and long-term stewardship. The objective of this paper is to explore the meanings of these assessments, examine the relationships among them, and suggest methods of integration that will move environmental management forward. While remediation, restoration, and NRDA, among others, are often conducted separately, it is important to integrate them for contaminated land where the risks to ecoreceptors (including humans) can be high, and the potential damage to functioning ecosystems great. Ecological evaluations can range from inventories of local plants and animals, determinations of reproductive success of particular species, levels of contaminants in organisms, kinds and levels of effects, and environmental impact assessments, to very formal ecological risk assessments for a chemical or other stressor. Such evaluations can range from the individual species to populations, communities, ecosystems or the landscape scale. Ecological evaluations serve as the basis for making decisions about the levels and kinds of remediation, the levels and kinds of restoration possible, and the degree and kinds of natural resource injuries that have occurred because of contamination. Many different disciplines are involved in ecological evaluation, including biologists, conservationists, foresters, restoration ecologists, ecological engineers, economists, hydrologist, and geologists. Since ecological evaluation forms the basis for so many different types of environmental management, it seems reasonable to integrate management options to achieve economies of time, energy, and costs. Integration and iteration among these disciplines is possible only with continued interactions among practitioners, regulators, policy-makers, Native American Tribes, and the general public.",

keywords = "Buffers, Contamination, Ecological evaluations, Ecological protection, Environmental management, Natural resource damage assessment (NRDA), Remediation, Restoration, Stewardship, Sustainability",

author = "Joanna Burger",

note = "Funding Information: I have had stimulating discussions about environmental evaluation, human and ecological risk assessment, remediation, restoration, and long-term stewardship with many colleagues, and I thank them now: M. Gochfeld, C. Chess, J. Clarke, K. Cooper, M. Gallo, B.D. Goldstein, M. Greenberg, S. Handel, D. Kosson, T. Leschine, L. Niles, C. W. Powers, and D. Wartenberg. I thank S. Shukla and C. Jeitner for help with the graphics. Over the years my research has been funded by the NIMH, EPA, NIEHS (P30ES005022), the Department of the Interior, the Department of Energy (through the Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation, AI # DE-FG 26-00NT 40938 and DE-FC01-06EW07053), the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (Office of Science, and Endangered and Nongame Species Program), Trust for Public Lands, New Jersey Audubon Society, the Jersey Coast Angler's Association, and EOHSI. The conclusions and interpretations reported herein are the sole responsibility of the author, and should not be interpreted as representing the views of the funding agencies.",

year = "2008",

month = aug,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2008.06.041",

language = "American English",

volume = "400",

pages = "6--19",

journal = "Science of the Total Environment",

issn = "0048-9697",

publisher = "Elsevier B.V.",

number = "1-3",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Environmental management

T2 - Integrating ecological evaluation, remediation, restoration, natural resource damage assessment and long-term stewardship on contaminated lands

AU - Burger, Joanna

N1 - Funding Information: I have had stimulating discussions about environmental evaluation, human and ecological risk assessment, remediation, restoration, and long-term stewardship with many colleagues, and I thank them now: M. Gochfeld, C. Chess, J. Clarke, K. Cooper, M. Gallo, B.D. Goldstein, M. Greenberg, S. Handel, D. Kosson, T. Leschine, L. Niles, C. W. Powers, and D. Wartenberg. I thank S. Shukla and C. Jeitner for help with the graphics. Over the years my research has been funded by the NIMH, EPA, NIEHS (P30ES005022), the Department of the Interior, the Department of Energy (through the Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation, AI # DE-FG 26-00NT 40938 and DE-FC01-06EW07053), the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (Office of Science, and Endangered and Nongame Species Program), Trust for Public Lands, New Jersey Audubon Society, the Jersey Coast Angler's Association, and EOHSI. The conclusions and interpretations reported herein are the sole responsibility of the author, and should not be interpreted as representing the views of the funding agencies.

PY - 2008/8/1

Y1 - 2008/8/1

N2 - Ecological evaluation is essential for remediation, restoration, and Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA), and forms the basis for many management practices. These include determining status and trends of biological, physical, or chemical/radiological conditions, conducting environmental impact assessments, performing remedial actions should remediation fail, managing ecosystems and wildlife, and assessing the efficacy of remediation, restoration, and long-term stewardship. The objective of this paper is to explore the meanings of these assessments, examine the relationships among them, and suggest methods of integration that will move environmental management forward. While remediation, restoration, and NRDA, among others, are often conducted separately, it is important to integrate them for contaminated land where the risks to ecoreceptors (including humans) can be high, and the potential damage to functioning ecosystems great. Ecological evaluations can range from inventories of local plants and animals, determinations of reproductive success of particular species, levels of contaminants in organisms, kinds and levels of effects, and environmental impact assessments, to very formal ecological risk assessments for a chemical or other stressor. Such evaluations can range from the individual species to populations, communities, ecosystems or the landscape scale. Ecological evaluations serve as the basis for making decisions about the levels and kinds of remediation, the levels and kinds of restoration possible, and the degree and kinds of natural resource injuries that have occurred because of contamination. Many different disciplines are involved in ecological evaluation, including biologists, conservationists, foresters, restoration ecologists, ecological engineers, economists, hydrologist, and geologists. Since ecological evaluation forms the basis for so many different types of environmental management, it seems reasonable to integrate management options to achieve economies of time, energy, and costs. Integration and iteration among these disciplines is possible only with continued interactions among practitioners, regulators, policy-makers, Native American Tribes, and the general public.

AB - Ecological evaluation is essential for remediation, restoration, and Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA), and forms the basis for many management practices. These include determining status and trends of biological, physical, or chemical/radiological conditions, conducting environmental impact assessments, performing remedial actions should remediation fail, managing ecosystems and wildlife, and assessing the efficacy of remediation, restoration, and long-term stewardship. The objective of this paper is to explore the meanings of these assessments, examine the relationships among them, and suggest methods of integration that will move environmental management forward. While remediation, restoration, and NRDA, among others, are often conducted separately, it is important to integrate them for contaminated land where the risks to ecoreceptors (including humans) can be high, and the potential damage to functioning ecosystems great. Ecological evaluations can range from inventories of local plants and animals, determinations of reproductive success of particular species, levels of contaminants in organisms, kinds and levels of effects, and environmental impact assessments, to very formal ecological risk assessments for a chemical or other stressor. Such evaluations can range from the individual species to populations, communities, ecosystems or the landscape scale. Ecological evaluations serve as the basis for making decisions about the levels and kinds of remediation, the levels and kinds of restoration possible, and the degree and kinds of natural resource injuries that have occurred because of contamination. Many different disciplines are involved in ecological evaluation, including biologists, conservationists, foresters, restoration ecologists, ecological engineers, economists, hydrologist, and geologists. Since ecological evaluation forms the basis for so many different types of environmental management, it seems reasonable to integrate management options to achieve economies of time, energy, and costs. Integration and iteration among these disciplines is possible only with continued interactions among practitioners, regulators, policy-makers, Native American Tribes, and the general public.

KW - Buffers

KW - Contamination

KW - Ecological evaluations

KW - Ecological protection

KW - Environmental management

KW - Natural resource damage assessment (NRDA)

KW - Remediation

KW - Restoration

KW - Stewardship

KW - Sustainability

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=54149117085&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=54149117085&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2008.06.041

DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2008.06.041

M3 - Article

C2 - 18687455

SN - 0048-9697

VL - 400

SP - 6

EP - 19

JO - Science of the Total Environment

JF - Science of the Total Environment

IS - 1-3

ER -

Environmental management: Integrating ecological evaluation, remediation, restoration, natural resource damage assessment and long-term stewardship on contaminated lands

Abstract

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this