Detection and decision-making in environmental effects monitoring |
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Authors: | M Power G Power D G Dixon |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Manitoba, R3T 2N2 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada;(2) Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, N2L 3G1 Waterloo, Ontario, Canada |
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Abstract: | The majority of environmental effects monitoring (EEM) frameworks that have been proposed compare selected indicator variables
as a means of assessing whether significant changes in stressed ecosystems have occurred. Most are deterministic in nature
and do not appropriately account for the natural variability and dynamics within the systems being comapred. This suggests
that the comparative procedures should be statistically based and immediately raises the issue of whether the selected comparative
procedures are to be used as decision-making tools or conclusive procedures. Conclusive procedures require a significant body
of evidence before rejecting the postulated null hypothesis. The costs and time involved in environmental data collection
accordingly bias action toward the maintenance of a status quo approach to environmental management. if, however, EEM is treated
as a decision-making procedure, risk functions that include consideration of type I and II statistical error may be developed
and combined with costs to select a minimum expected loss strategy for environemental management. Examples of the interpretative
difficulties and conclusion reversal phenomena caused when EEM is used as a conclusive procedure are presented. In addition,
risk functions appropriate for environmental management within an EEM context are constructed and applied. Only when such
tools are fully developed and applied can EEM expect to have significant impacts on minimizing environmental degradation. |
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Keywords: | Environmental effects monitoring Environmental management Hypothesis testing Environmental risk analysis |
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