Environmental Assessment Approaches in Large Complex Ecosystems: The Upper Mississippi River Experience

Biological assessments have become essential for evaluating and communicating the health of ecosystems.  Such assessments are easiest when the ecosystem is small and under a single management domain; they are most difficult when ecosystems are large and encompass a multitude of management authorities and jurisdictions.  Large ecosystems present additional challenges in that communication among vested agencies and stakeholders is complicated by distance and simple administrative barriers.  Moreover, large ecosystems rarely have standardized data upon which to make rigorous assessments.  I will use the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS) as one case study in the assessment of ecological health in large, complex ecosystems.  A history of purposeful progression in such assessments demonstrate the value of investing in long term standardized ecological assessments, partnership approaches, and the utility in conceiving novel ways to engage and communicate patterns in resource status and trends to diverse public and private partners responsible for managing this complex ecosystem.