| Summary: | From 5-9 September 2004 the international working group of the NATO/CCMS Pilot Study on the "Use of Landscape Sciences for Environmental Assessment" met in Lecce, Italy. The results of this meeting are documented and the scientific presentations and results are published in EcoSys (a University of Kiel [Germany] scientific journal; ISSN:0940-7782). The NATO Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society (CCMS) was created in 1969 by the North Atlantic Council for the purpose of addressing problems affecting the environment of the member nations and the quality of life of their citizens. A key goal of the NATO/CCMS is to utilize a science framework to promote international cooperation. To meet the challenges associated with evaluating environmental problems related to land use at multiple spatial scales the CCMS initiated a pilot study on the Use of Landscape Sciences for Environmental Assessment in March 2001. Specifically, the pilot study has been developed to explore the potential of quantifying and assessing environmental condition, processes of land degradation, and subsequent impacts on natural and human resources (including security) by combining the advanced technologies of remote sensing, geographic information systems, spatial statistics, and process models with landscape ecology theory. The research is focused on the interaction between landscape patterns and ecological processes and their relation to environmental security. Environmental assessment is defined as a process by which scientific evidence and technological information are analyzed for the purpose of evaluating present condition or forecasting the outcomes of alternative future courses of action. The assessments are directed toward specific ecological resources and socially relevant endpoints such as watershed condition (water quality, quantity, and vulnerability to flooding), landscape resilience (ability to sustain ecological goods and services when subjected to conditions of anthropogenic and natural stress), and biodiversity (wildlife habitat).The research and implementation agendas are being accomplished through the completion of multiple national studies throughout Europe and the United States which emphasize thematic areas related to landscape characterization, land cover change detection, landscape indicators, landscape assessment, and landscape theory and models. The Pilot Study participants meet annually to report their findings and share their results. The information is consolidated into published proceedings and is made publicly available via the NATO/CCMS Pilot Studies website (see http://www.nato.int/ccms/pilot-studies/lsea/ lsea-index.htm). Although this work was reviewed by EPA and pproved for publication, it may not necessarily reflect official Agency policy. Mention of trade names and commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
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