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CAN NEPA PROTECT BIODIVERSITY?
Citation:
Henderson, S., R. Noss, AND P. Ross. CAN NEPA PROTECT BIODIVERSITY? U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/D-90/145 (NTIS PB90263955), 1990.
Description:
Biodiversity has emerged as a prominent issue in the scientific andconservation communities, and is of increasing concern to thegeneral public. s with other "new" environmental probLems (e.g..global climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion), biodiversityis difficult to evaluate because it involves slow, cumulativecomplex effects that are unquestionably serious but difficult todocument. nLike "traditional" pollution concerns, these newproblems are not confined to one location or tied to onedevelopment or industry but are regional or global in scope. ivenscientific uncertainty about cause-effect relationships, it is verydifficuLt to formulate environmental policy or regulations thatadequately address the probLem. iodiversity is aLso a very broadissue, involving aspects of species richness, species composition,genetic variation, habitat structure, landscape pattern, andecological and evolutionary processes. lthough components ofbiodiversity are addressed by various pieces of environmentaLlegislation, a comprehensive approach is lacking. ewinterpretation of the NationaL EnvironmentaL PoLicy Act (NEPA)couLd involve the recognition of particular attributes or"indicators" of biodiversity to address in the environmentalassessment and review process. e present a hierarchical frameworkof compositional, structural, and functionaL biodiversity fromwhich measurable indicators can be selected.
