PARENT SESSION
OOS 3: Valuation of Ecological Resources: Integration of Ecology and Socio-economics to Inform Environmental Decisions.
Organized by: LA Kapustka, RG Stahl, WR Munns, and RJF Bruins
Monday, August 2, 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM, Meeting Room E 145.

Ecological valuation approaches for environmental decisions in the industrial private sector.

Loucks, Orie^*,,

ABSTRACT- Ecological valuation and decision processes faced by high impact industries are in some respects simpler, and in other respects more complex than the public policy decision process. the industrial private sector usually only has to consider ecological impacts at one site or for one process-stream complex over time. However, the ecological busines decision must consider direct costs to the company, overseas suppy chain control issues, overseas customers or client attitudes and values, employee or community sustainability issues, in addition to impingement of ecological system values. The paper presents an analysis of considerations from European vs North Aemrican-based companies, and mining/oil industries vs forest and paper industries. A prominent finding noted the remarkably diverse array of ecological valueation practices in each of the business sectors reviewed to date.

Key words: ecological valuation, industrial impacts, decision-making, policy