managing ecological systems for man's benefit and survival. ^ Another process which 

 should be a part of this information network is ecological monitoring.^ This requires 

 the repetitive application of the ecological information development process on key 

 elements defined in the initial assessment. 



Technical Analysis Components 



The input of design requirements from institutional decision process analysis 

 (Figure 1) drives the technical analysis components (Figure 2). An important step is 

 the integration of ecological theory, existing data, and available technology for 

 obtaining new information into design specifications for the ecological assessment 

 process. It is important to note that the four general steps of assessment - 

 Classification, Inventory, Characterization, and Evaluation are designed in reverse 

 sequence of their application in order to insure efficient and effective delivery of the 

 specified information required for decisionmaking. 



The synthesis which results in the output of design specifications provides specific 

 technical requirements and scientific rigor to the design phase of the ecological 

 assessment process. Ecological assessment processes are often initiated without the 

 application of this step in the process. When ecological assessments are based on the 

 study criteria alone, the decisionmaker is usually provided with irrelevant as well as 

 scientifically unsupportable analyses. For example, in the Department of the Interior 

 (as elsewhere) this has resulted in the writing of voluminous Environmental Impact 

 Statements designed to meet the requirements of the National Environmental Policy 

 Act of 1969 (NEPA). and Program Decision Option Documents designed to be used 

 by the actual decisionmakers.' 



The ecological assessment process may be defined as integrating the systems of 

 classification, inventory, characterization, and evaluation. The application of this 

 process, through decisionmaking, results in an analysis of the state of a resource, its 

 direction of change, and its significance to society. The definition of the four 

 subcomponents is as follows:' 



Classification 



a. The process of developing a system for grouping real entities into categories. 

 (For example, the Linnaean taxonomic classification for plants and animals.) 



b. The process of de\eloping a system of categories based on attributes ot real 

 entities. (For example, the range condition classes used by several federal 

 agencies.) 



Inventory 



a. The process of measuring attributes of an ecological system and its 

 components in a particular geographical area. (For example, delineating and 

 measuring the plant species composition of a stand of vegetation.) 



b. The identification of which category in a classification system an entity is a 

 member oU based on (a). (For example, determining the habitat type of the 

 stand vegetation based on species composition.) 



c. The results of applying (a) and (b). 



Characterization 



a. The process of describing the ecological systems in a given geographical area, 

 derived from analyses of such ecological relationships as interactions, 

 dependencies, and co-occurrences. (For example, primary data analyses to 

 estimate the current population size and productivity of an elk herd.) 



b. The results of (a). 



Evaluation 

 a. The process of integrating and interpreting characterizations with aspects of 

 other ecological and environmental perspectives and the reforming of the 



9 



