In response to the growing concerns regarding the condition of the nation's ecological resources, the U.S. EPA has initiated the development of a national interagency program to determine the status of, and to monitor the changes in, ecological systems. This program is called the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP). The Arid Ecosystem portion of EMAP includes grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, riparian zones, tundra and deserts in the arid (dryer) regions, primarily the central and western U.S. This document outlines a strategy for the development and operation of the Arid Ecosystems portion of EMAP. Through workshops, with interagency cooperation and technical support from universities, indicators (measures of ecological parameters) will be evaluated, developed and tested in small scale pilot field studies, before being implemented at larger scales. Also discussed in the document are the sampling design; plans for the use of remote sensing and GIS; development of the information management system; a quality assurance program; means for implementation of a large scale field sampling operation; and the guidelines for statistics, assessment and reporting for the program.

"June 1991." "EPA 600-4-91-018." Cover title. Includes bibliographical references. Funded wholly or in part by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agecny under contract no. 68-C0-0049.