Broad-scale consequences of land management: Columbia basin example

Integrating management actions to consistently achieve broad ecological and socioeconomic goals is a challenge largely unmet. The presumed or real con flict between these goals establishes a forum for debate. Broad measures ar e needed to describe tradeoffs, trends in conditions under varying manageme nt scenarios, and a transparent science underpinning. The Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project in the northwestern United States provi des a useful example where scientists, managers, and the public have explor ed these issues in depth. From a science perspective we conclude that a suc cessful strategy for broad-scale land management will need the ability to d o the following: maintain long-term sustainability of resources and ecosyst ems; maintain socioeconomic resiliency; continually assess results of manag ement activities; manage risks and opportunities through consistent approac hes at multiple scales; expand our knowledge base; and adaptively manage fo r new knowledge and assessments of resource conditions/capabilities. Publis hed by Elsevier Science B.V.