How does ERISS claim to protect ecosystems, when activities that may have a possible impact are not under their control, but are brought about by various stakeholders (tourism, Jabiru townsite, etc.)?
Protection of ecosystems starts by determining the status of the system, and by setting specific aims and objectives. The first step in ecosystem protection is to set up research and monitoring systems capable of detecting change. Change, which can happen at various spatial and temporal scales, can be attributed to identifiable environmental pressures, some of which may be related to human activity. Once the magnitude, significance and cause of a particular change is determined, the information can be used by landusers/managers to the benefit of the ecosystem. ERISS’s role in protecting ecosystems is to provide knowledge and information to managers as a first step in ecosystem protection.
