A FRAMEWORK FOR ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT IN THE INTERIOR COLUMBIA BASIN

A framework was developed to set forth the relationship of science to management for the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Projec t. It incorporates a general planning model that has four iterative st eps: monitoring, assessment, decisionmaking, and implementation. In th is effort we recognized that people are part of ecosystems and that st ewardship must resolve the challenge of how to meet multiple demands w ith finite resources. Science helps decisionmakers choose among option s for dynamic systems, but the real challenge is determining whose val ues will influence land management.