Richard J. Wenning – Wenning Environmental LLC, Yarmouth, Maine US
Chapter 22, Human and Ecological Risk Assessment -Theory and Practice Third Edition, Volume 2; Dennis J. Paustenbach (ed.). https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119742975.ch22
ABSTRACT:
Ecological risk assessment (ERA) uses scientific data from field and laboratory studies to describe theoretical exposure and risks to wildlife and the natural environment resulting from human activities. ERA supports the cleanup of hazardous waste sites, regulation of consumer products, industrial chemicals, and pesticides, watershed management, and the mitigation of incidental harm to ecosystems caused by various land and natural resource development activities. ERA has become a crucial tool for quantifying the impacts on nature associated with exposure to a wide array of chemicals and environmental changes. It has transformed from a narrative evaluation of environmental impact to include several quantitative and semi-quantitative approaches, depending on the quality of available data, assessment endpoints, species of concern, and the purposes of the assessment.
In this chapter from Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, Theory and Practice, Volume 2 (3rd edition, Dennis J. Paustenbach, editor; Wiley), the work typically associated with conducting an ERA is reviewed, including the planning phase, screening-level ecological risk assessment (SLERA), and detailed assessment. Several key considerations related to problem formulation, exposure characterization, effects characterization, and risk characterization are discussed. A brief review of data analysis tools that have become integral to conducting a detailed ERA is included, contributing to the enhancement of insights gained from the characterization of potential ecological risks. The chapter concludes by examining the challenges posed by climate change and biodiversity loss worldwide, as well as new assessment and monitoring methods and ecological models likely to inspire the further evolution of ERA as a practical tool for understanding the consequences to organisms and ecosystems.
