PARENT SESSION
MP1 - Sustainable Development: Science, Adaptive Management & Ecosystem Restoration
Chair: Luoma, Sam1, 1 USGS, Menlo Park, CA
2:10 PM to 5:30 PM - Monday, 18 November 2002
Room Ballroom G-I
(249) USEPA, Science Advisory Board (SAB) Challenges in Using Adaptive Management in Addressing EPA Monitoring and Regulatory Issues.
Cummins, K*,1, 1 Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA
ABSTRACT- Although EPA has endorsed the adaptive management paradigm, it has not been incorporated widely into EPA operations. The role of the SAB is to evaluate EPA programs from the Various offices (e. g. the Office of Air, office of Water, etc.), research at the National EPA Labs, and various state and national EPA programs around the country. A committee structure is used to divide up the various disciplines and establish appropriate panels for targeted reviews. The Ecological Processes and Effects Committee (EPEC) has been instrumental in instilling an awareness of the adaptive management approach in EPA activities. As part of this process, EPEC developed, through a self-initiated study, produce a document on developing report cards of ecological condition. This is viewed as a critical step in developing adaptive management strategies, necessary in order to evaluate the status of systems and their direction and rate of change in response to natural or man-made events.
Key words: adaptive management, USEPA Science Advisory Board, monitoring, regulations