Loveland Thomas R, Merchant James M
USGS EROS Data Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57198, USA.
Environ Manage. 2004;34 Suppl 1:S1-13. doi: 10.1007/s00267-003-5181-x.
Ecoregions, i.e., areas exhibiting relative homogeneity of ecosystems, are units of analysis that are increasingly important in environmental assessment and management. Ecoregions provide a holistic framework for flexible, comparative analysis of complex environmental problems. Ecoregions mapping has intellectual foundations in both geography and ecology. However, a hallmark of ecoregions mapping is that it is a truly interdisciplinary endeavor that demands the integration of knowledge from a multitude of sciences. Geographers emphasize the role of place, scale, and both natural and social elements when delineating and characterizing regions. Ecologists tend to focus on environmental processes with special attention given to energy flows and nutrient cycling. Integration of disparate knowledge from the many key sciences has been one of the great challenges of ecoregions mapping, and may lie at the heart of the lack of consensus on the "optimal" approach and methods to use in such work. Through a review of the principal existing US ecoregion maps, issues that should be addressed in order to advance the state of the art are identified. Research related to needs, methods, data sources, data delivery, and validation is needed. It is also important that the academic system foster education so that there is an infusion of new expertise in ecoregion mapping and use.
生态区域，即呈现出生态系统相对同质性的区域，是分析单位，在环境评估和管理中变得越来越重要。生态区域为灵活、比较性地分析复杂环境问题提供了一个整体框架。生态区域制图在地理学和生态学方面都有知识基础。然而，生态区域制图的一个特点是，它是一项真正的跨学科工作，需要整合众多学科的知识。地理学家在划定和描述区域时强调地点、尺度以及自然和社会要素的作用。生态学家倾向于关注环境过程，特别关注能量流动和养分循环。整合来自众多关键学科的不同知识一直是生态区域制图的重大挑战之一，可能也是在这类工作中对“最佳”方法和手段缺乏共识的核心所在。通过对美国现有的主要生态区域地图进行回顾，确定了为推动技术发展应解决的问题。需要开展与需求、方法、数据来源、数据交付和验证相关的研究。同样重要的是，学术体系应促进教育，以便为生态区域制图和应用注入新的专业知识。
