Ecosystem management policies in state government of the USA

In the U.S., some state governments are beginning to adopt policies based o n ecosystem management for conserving natural resources. Implicit or explic it in the policies usually is the concept of sustainable development that e mbodies achieving sustainable economies through the use of ecosystem manage ment. State-level ecosystem management programs in the western U.S. often a re in response to the Federal Ecosystem Management Initiative established b y the White House in 1995 for federal land management agencies to apply to public lands. The intent of the policies in the western states, under the a rising Enlibra doctrine of the Western Governors' Association (WGA), may or may not compliment the activities of federal agencies. Consequently, the i dea for the new western doctrine, already formally embraced by the WGA, is viewed with skepticism by some aside from those involved in developing it. Midwestern and eastern states with emerging ecosystem management policies a nd programs are discussed and compared in this paper along with the program s arising in the western states under the emerging Enlibra doctrine. (C) 20 00 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.