Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2013C00288:reg:2:p1
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2013C00288
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 2 (pt 1/2)
Character Range: 1148478–1151524

2                   Introduction
It is now well recognised that a risk assessment provides information to distinguish between important and trivial contamination issues. When coupled with political, social, cultural, economic and engineering considerations, it enables decisions about the need and methods to be used to reduce risk. ERA is this approach applied to ecological situations.
Inherent in an ERA is the need to recognise the following principles:
    * It needs to be focused on maintaining ecosystem structure and function, which are both vital to maintaining healthy and sustainable ecosystems.
    * It must recognise that all aspects of the environment are interdependent and cannot be considered in isolation, thus leading to a holistic approach.
    * Its objectives must recognise the sustainable use of resources in an environmental, economic, social and cultural context. It is imperative that the environmental values to be protected are the driving force for the assessment, noting that the values of sites with different land uses (for example, land used for industrial purposes or for a national park) may be different. The existing or proposed land use of a site assessed for contamination will influence the selection of ecological values.
    * An ERA requires an integrated approach, using multiple lines of evidence gathered from physical, chemical and biological data combined with site-specific data about exposure, toxicological and chemical parameters and the consideration of properties of soil, sediments and water relevant to the site, in order to estimate the level of effects. The movement of contaminants from soil to other environmental media (that is, air, water or sediment) and subsequent exposure to biota should be included in the ERA.
    * Communication strategies are integral to the success of any ERA, so the process requires a cooperative approach to encourage effective communication among industry, government and communities.
The ERA process described in this guideline assesses the risk posed to terrestrial ecosystems (including soil processes, soil flora and fauna, and terrestrial invertebrates and vertebrates) from the adverse effects of chemical contaminants in soil. Section 2.4.1.4 of Schedule B5b provides information and limitations of the equilibrium partitioning method (EqP), which is used to predict the toxicity of a contaminant in soils based on aquatic toxicity data. Examples of how to derive EILs that consider off-site aquatic effects are provided in Schedule B5c (Sections 3.6.2 and 4.6.2). Further guidance for assessing risks to aquatic ecosystems is available from National water quality management strategy – Australian and New Zealand guidelines for fresh and marine water quality (ANZECC & ARMCANZ 2000).

This risk-based process is inextricably linked to the principles of ecologically sustainable development (ESD). ESD aims to protect biodiversity and maintain ecological processes and functions and it is a central paradigm to both Australian and international