ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT - A LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY PERSPECTIVE

Ecosystem management is an evolving philosophy that many government ag encies have adopted in the multiple-use, sustained-yield management of federal lands. The primary objective of this philosophy is to sustain the integrity of ecosystems (i.e., their function, composition, and s tructure) for future generations while providing immediate goods and s ervices to an increasingly diverse public. This objective can be achie ved through integrated land evaluation and optimal land use planning t hat promotes the maintenance or development of landscape patterns and processes that meet societal expectations within the limits of the lan d's ecological potentials. Landscape ecology and conservation biology principles are critical components of this philosophy. This paper desc ribes how some of these principles can be efficiently used in formulat ing a framework for ecosystem management on federal lands. The role of landscape ecology in ecosystem characterization and description is st ressed, and the appropriateness of integrated ecological assessments t o ecosystem management is discussed.