There has been much recent activity in the development of ecological models for use in regulatory risk assessments of pesticides and other chemicals. A potential benefit of ecological models is that they can provide outputs that are more directly related to protection goals (i.e., persistence of populations or groups of populations and the ecosystem services that they deliver) than are simple hazard quotients or SSDs based on individual-level endpoints. The recent report from the National Academy of Sciences, Assessing Risks to Endangered and Threatened Species from Pesticides, recommends the use of ecological modeling (in particular, population modeling) for pesticide risk assessment, but does not provide much specific guidance. In this symposium we bring together a range of speakers to explore the opportunities and challenges involved in using ecological models to improve risk assessment. This introductory presentation will provide an overview of recent initiatives and some suggestions for moving forward.

Use of ecological models in regulatory risk assessments: Introduction to the symposium

248th National Meeting (2014)

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