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REGIONAL VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT: A CONCEPTUAL APPROACH
Citation:
Smith, E R. REGIONAL VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT: A CONCEPTUAL APPROACH. Presented at International Ecosystem Health Congress, Sacramento, CA, August 15-20, 1999.
Impact/Purpose:
Provide regional-scale, spatially explicit information on the extent and distribution of both stressors and sensitive resources.
Develop and evaluate techniques to integrate information on exposure and effects so that relative risk can be assessed and management actions can be prioritized.
Predict consequences of potential environmental changes under alternative future scenarios.
Effectively communicate economic and quality of life trade-offs associated with alternative environmental policies.
Develop techniques to prioritize areas for ecological restoration.
Identify information gaps and recommend actions to improve monitoring and focus research.
There are two task objectives that reflect the work done by LCB in support of the ReVA Program objectives:
Provide information management, spatial analysis support, and data and information accessibility for the ReVA Program
Provide program management support, technology transfer, and outreach.
Description:
EPA's Regional Vulnerability Assessment (REVA) project is developing and testing an approach to conducting comparative ecological risk assessments at the regional scale. I't seeks an objective and quantifiable answer to answer the question, "What are the greatest threaten accompanying socioeconomic growth in a region and which ecosystems are most vulnerable?"' REVA builds on the environmental monitoring base developed by the Environmental and Assessment Program (EMAP), and incorporates the latest developments in remote sensing landscape ecology, multimedia modeling, and ecological risk assessment. REVA also re'.@es on socioeconomic research to develop internally consistent scenarios against which to compare risks from future population growth and concomitant changes in land use and pollutant generation. The research is being conducted in concert with EPA Region 3 as part of the.Mid-Atlantic Integrated Assessment (MAIA), This resulting methodology will be a critical aid to state and local governments and regional planning bodies in developing efficient and effective strategies for community-based environmental protection.