probabilities of the effects of man's activities and technology. 

 Implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act has given 

 new visibility to the usefulness of and the necessity for information 

 resulting from ecological research. Every mission agency with a 

 requirement for ecological research needs its research product as a 

 basis for managing its mission as well as for preparing environmental 

 impact statements. 



A number of Federal programs depend on understanding the functions 

 of ecosystems and the ways in which these functions are affected by 

 man's activities, both deliberate or inadvertent. There is a need to focus 

 Federal programs on important and urgent ecological problems to 

 assure that such programs are adequate and to prevent duplication of 

 effort. The Committee concentrated on those issues, agencies, and 

 programs concerned with environmental management and regulation, 

 emphasizing naturally and moderately managed systems rather than 

 intensively managed land, water, or urban areas. The analyses of the 

 Committee do, however, apply to all ecosystems, including those with 

 large human populations. Research on the ecology of intensively 

 managed systems, such as monocultural cropping systems, tree 

 farming, fish hatcheries, poultry farms, and feedlots, is included only 

 to the extent that it contributes to basic ecology or that the products 

 and by-products have impacts when they enter natural or moderately 

 managed ecosystems. 



Federal Government research programs involving the effects of 

 environment and pollutants on man were not studied by this 

 Committee, since that area is the responsibility of a separate 

 committee on Environmental Health Research, organized under the 

 Council on Environmental Quality and the Office of Science and 

 Technology. This report does not include human health related 

 ecology, except for some disease vectors and nuisance pests. Social and 

 behavioral interactions among human beings are also excluded, but 

 they merit special review in a separate study. Urban ecology is 

 recognized as being extremely important, but it also requires detailed 

 study by qualified experts in that field. 



In analyzing funding levels, capital investments in ecological research 

 facilities are not included, nor are costs of building and operating ship 

 support, launch vehicles, satellites, and aircraft. International support 

 of ecological research is included if agency funds were expended. 

 Funding is reported by the primary agency receiving Federal funds to 

 prevent duplication. Federal funds given to state and municipal 

 governments, to universities, and other organizations for ecological 

 research are included. 



4. Supportive 



Research, Surveys 



and Monitoring 



Although supportive environmental studies and extensive non- 

 research or routine surveys contribute significantly to ecology, they are 

 not included as ecological research in this study. Non-research surveys 

 or monitoring programs include those on meterology, weather, 

 physical oceanography, soils, hydrology, topography, geodetics, 

 timber, agriculture, soil conservation, economics, pollution, and many 

 others. The Federal environmental research programs have been 



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