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Publication Details

Title: 10 Guidelines for Ecosystem Researchers: Lessons from Missouri

Author: Larsen, David R.; Shifley, Stephen R.; Thompson, Frank R., III; Brookshire, Brian L.; Dey, Daniel C.; Kurzejeski, Eric W.; England, Kristine

Year: 1997

Publication: Journal of Forestry 95(4):4-9

Abstract: In the early 1990s managers in natural resource agencies in Missouri began asking, "How does ecosystem management relate to our current practices? How might we do a better job of managing large ecosystems?" As they started addressing these questions, several points emerged:

  • Planning and managing ecosystems requires expertise in more subject areas than any single individual can possess.
  • Many ecosystem attributes can be observed only at large scales, like landscapes or watersheds.
  • Management issues also involve multiple ownerships.
  • New tools are needed to help synthesize information and guide decision making.
The Missouri land managers acknowledged those constraints and began discussing ways to collaborate on ecosystem research and management projects. As with any collaboration, the process has not been quick, easy, or simple. There is no master plan for this work, but rather a series of complementary large-scale research and development efforts to improve both knowledge and tools. The initiatives involve longterm ecosystem experiments and other permanent plot data, synthesis of research results across numerous disciplines, spatial data compilation and analysis, and making ecosystem management responsive to society.

Last Modified: 8/11/2006


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