The increasing pace and extent of ecological change has led to concerns about the integrity of ecological processes necessary for long-term ecosystem functioning and the continued utility of ecological systems as providers of goods and services.
Ecosystems are extraordinarily dynamic, complex, and unpredictable.
They are constantly changing in response to a multitude of natural and human influences, as well as from their own internal dynamics. Predicting change is essential for managing ecosystem sustainability. To accomplish this, it is necessary to evaluate ecosystem condition and causes of ecosystem deterioration through environmental monitoring and assessment . Finally, an understanding of the impact of our policies and actions is also desirable, and this is being performed through a program called Integrated Science for Ecological Challenges . Change in ecological systems, including their structure and function, may result from multiple stressors across multiple scales and multiple pathways.