Abstract |
Risk assessment has been suggested as a tool to help manage ecological problems. Ecological risk assessment is usually defined as the process that evaluates the likelihood that adverse ecological effects are occurring, or may occur, as a result of exposure to one or more stressors. The basic concept, while straightforward, is difficult to apply to any but the simplest ecological problems. A formidable problem in many risk assessments, and especially for complex questions such as addressing the challenge of ecological sustainability, is selecting what ecological component or system is to be considered at risk. This selection is entirely social and political, but estimating the actual risk is technical and scientific. The question of what is at risk must be answered within the political decision-making framework or the results of the risk assessment will be of limited utility. |