Abstract:

Ecological risk assessment (ERA) is a process of evaluating possibilities of ecological stressors generating adverse ecological effects, so that, it may provide some theoretical and technical support for management of environmental risks. An ERA framework is a system of standardized procedures and methods that defines the general contents, technical route, and critical steps and procedures of ERA and corresponding products of each phase, thus providing paths for efficient transformation of the scientific methods of ERA into eco-environment management strategies. Starting from the 1990s′, some developed countries, such as the United States, have gradually developed technical frameworks for ERA with a series of relevant standards, guidelines and technical documents, which directly supports the eco-environment-protection-related laws and regulations under enforcement, and influences decision-making concerning eco-environment protection and management of eco-environment in these countries. However, in China, there are no standardized guidelines and methods available for practical implementation of ERA. Four sets of ERA frameworks closely related to soil environment pollution prevailing in the USA, UK and Australia were taken as examples to introduce contents of international ERA frameworks. In addition, analysis was done of directions of the development of researches on ERA framework of China, taking into account the advancement in the study on methods for ERA in the fields of environmental impact assessment and pesticide safety assessment.

Key words: ecological risk assessment(ERA), ecological risk assessment framework, management of environmental risk