TIPs provide a credible and balanced scientific discussion of important environmental issues.
The following discussion provides a brief overview of ERA issues. Ecological risk assessment is the practice of determining the nature and likelihood of effects of our actions on animals, plants, and the environment. Ecological risk assessments deal with human-caused changes that alter important features of ecological systems such as lakes, streams, forests, or watersheds. Ecological risks may be local a hazardous waste site. The risks may be regional the Chesapeake Bay, the Black Forest, or the Great Barrier Reef.