{"id":1055,"date":"2017-08-19T01:39:50","date_gmt":"2017-08-19T01:39:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lackey\/?p=1055"},"modified":"2021-02-23T23:19:41","modified_gmt":"2021-02-23T23:19:41","slug":"is-ecosystem-health-a-useful-metaphor-in-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lackey\/2017\/08\/19\/is-ecosystem-health-a-useful-metaphor-in-science\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Ecosystem Health a Useful Metaphor in Science?"},"content":{"rendered":"

by<\/em><\/p>\n

Robert T. Lackey\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Several years ago, toward the end of my career with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, one of the \u201coutreach\u201d staff in Washington, DC, telephoned me in Corvallis and posed a question:\u00a0 \u201cIn science, why isn\u2019t the notion of ecosystem health a useful metaphor to convey scientific information?\u00a0 I see the metaphor used all the time.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

When I provided a long-winded, complicated, technically rigorous answer<\/a>, the staffer was obviously disappointed. Evidently, he was looking for something simple and clear-cut.\u00a0 I then asked, ever so diplomatically, to provide a brief written answer that could be published in the EPA internal blog.\u00a0 What follows is an edited version of what was submitted.<\/p>\n

Very young children have a habit of asking innocent, but thorny questions. \u00a0\u00a0My grandson, however, has reached an age where innocence no longer passes for an excuse for his questions; \u00a0\u00a0he knows enough now that his questions reflect the traits of a budding intellectual troublemaker.<\/p>\n

A case in point: \u00a0here is my answer to his question about the increasingly popular term:\u00a0 ecosystem health<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cGrandpa, in school today in my science class, we talked about healthy ecosystems. My teacher says that when we are not feeling well, we go to a doctor to find out how to get healthy. If I have a sick ecosystem, she says that I should go to a scientist to find out how to make the ecosystem healthy. Dad says you are a scientist, so what is a healthy ecosystem?\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

It is a good question and one that I, as a research scientist who has worked on such issues for over 40 years, should be able to answer with ease.<\/p>\n

This seemingly straightforward question, however, does not have a simple answer. Further, the answer requires a clear understanding of the proper role of science in a democracy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

First, how is a person to recognize a healthy ecosystem? \u00a0Many might identify the healthiest ecosystems as those that are pristine. But what is the pristine state of an ecosystem<\/a>? Is it the condition of North America prior to alterations caused by European immigrants, say 1491? \u00a0Or perhaps it is the condition of the land sometime well after the arrival of immigrants who came by way of the Bering land bridge, say 1,000 years ago? Or maybe it is the state of North America prior to the arrival of any humans, say more than 15,000 years ago?<\/p>\n

Ultimately it is a policy decision<\/a> that will specify the desired state of an ecosystem. It is a choice, a preference, a goal.<\/p>\n

Scientists can provide options, alternatives, and possibilities, but ultimately in a democracy, it is society that chooses from among the possible goals<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For example, a malarial-infested swamp in its natural state could be defined as a healthy ecosystem, as could the same land converted to an intensively managed rice paddy. \u00a0Neither the swamp nor the rice paddy can be seen as a \u201chealthy\u201d ecosystem except through the lens of a person\u2019s values or policy goals.<\/p>\n

Once the desired state of an ecosystem is specified by someone, or by society overall through laws and regulation, scientists can determine how close we are to achieving that goal. They might even offer some approaches that might better achieve the goal. \u00a0Ultimately, though, it is society that defines the goal<\/a>, not scientists. One person\u2019s sick ecosystem is another person\u2019s healthy ecosystem.<\/p>\n

So, the answer to my grandson\u2019s provocative question is that human health is not an appropriate metaphor for ecosystem health<\/a>. \u00a0There is no inherently \u201chealthy\u201d state of ecosystems except when viewed from the perspective of societal values.<\/p>\n

Pristine ecosystems (e.g., wilderness watersheds, Antarctica, uninhabited tundra) are certainly very different than highly altered ecosystems (e.g., farms, city parks, harbors) but neither a pristine ecosystem nor a highly altered ecosystem is scientifically better or worse \u2014 just different.<\/p>\n

***************<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Robert T. Lackey Several years ago, toward the end of my career with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, one of the \u201coutreach\u201d staff in Washington, DC, telephoned me in Corvallis and posed a question:\u00a0 \u201cIn science, why isn\u2019t the notion of ecosystem health a useful metaphor to convey scientific information?\u00a0 I see the metaphor… Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4014,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1237562],"tags":[140586,1237561,150855,1324,716983,205490,150862,150858,150861],"class_list":["post-1055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ecological-policy","tag-conservation","tag-conservation-biology","tag-ecological-policy","tag-ecology","tag-ecosystem-health","tag-environmental-management","tag-environmental-protection","tag-environnmental-science","tag-restoration-ecology"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p94BFg-h1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2132,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lackey\/2024\/11\/24\/the-emergence-of-religious-ecology\/","url_meta":{"origin":1055,"position":0},"title":"The Emergence of Religious Ecology","author":"Robert Lackey","date":"November 24, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Robert T. Lackey Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences Oregon State University Robert.Lackey@oregonstate.edu \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 An especially muddying factor in unraveling ecological policy disputes is identifying the role of religious views in shaping scientific information. \u00a0These days, religious, ethical, or moral values are often embedded in \u201cscience\u201d to form a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ecological Policy"","block_context":{"text":"Ecological Policy","link":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lackey\/category\/ecological-policy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/2961\/files\/2024\/11\/Definitions-of-Key-Words-in-Ecological-Policy-Management-Science-Gray-Lackey-2024-1-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/2961\/files\/2024\/11\/Definitions-of-Key-Words-in-Ecological-Policy-Management-Science-Gray-Lackey-2024-1-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/2961\/files\/2024\/11\/Definitions-of-Key-Words-in-Ecological-Policy-Management-Science-Gray-Lackey-2024-1-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/2961\/files\/2024\/11\/Definitions-of-Key-Words-in-Ecological-Policy-Management-Science-Gray-Lackey-2024-1-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/2961\/files\/2024\/11\/Definitions-of-Key-Words-in-Ecological-Policy-Management-Science-Gray-Lackey-2024-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/2961\/files\/2024\/11\/Definitions-of-Key-Words-in-Ecological-Policy-Management-Science-Gray-Lackey-2024-1-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1190,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lackey\/2019\/02\/12\/does-the-public-expect-too-much-from-science\/","url_meta":{"origin":1055,"position":1},"title":"Does the Public Expect Too Much from Science?","author":"Robert Lackey","date":"February 12, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Robert T. Lackey More than two decades ago, while Deputy Director of EPA\u2019s national research laboratory in Corvallis, Oregon, I presented a talk to a group of community activists about why salmon populations along the West Coast have dropped to less than 5% of their historical levels. \u00a0I\u2019ve given\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ecological Policy"","block_context":{"text":"Ecological Policy","link":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lackey\/category\/ecological-policy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lackey\/files\/2019\/01\/Blog-Logo.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1168,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lackey\/2019\/01\/25\/is-science-biased-toward-natural-environments\/","url_meta":{"origin":1055,"position":2},"title":"Is Science Biased Toward Natural Environments?","author":"Robert Lackey","date":"January 25, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Robert T. Lackey In science, when you see the words \u201cnatural,\u201d \u201chealthy,\u201d \u201cdegraded,\u201d and \u201cbiological integrity,\u201d\u00a0 all these terms, and many others, have embedded assumptions about what someone or some organization regards as a desirable value choice, a preferred policy choice. These and similar words have no place in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ecological Policy"","block_context":{"text":"Ecological Policy","link":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lackey\/category\/ecological-policy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lackey\/files\/2019\/01\/Blog-Logo.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2371,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lackey\/2025\/08\/01\/how-do-scientists-lead-people-into-the-trap-of-assuming-that-natural-is-preferred-policy-wise\/","url_meta":{"origin":1055,"position":3},"title":"How Do Scientists Lead People into the Trap of Assuming that “Natural” is Preferred Policy-wise?","author":"Robert Lackey","date":"August 1, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Robert T. Lackey Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences Oregon State University \u221e\u221e\u221e\u221e\u221e\u221e In disciplines such as environmental science, fisheries and wildlife management, and environmental management, I am concerned that the scientific enterprise has become captive to a particular worldview, a preferred policy preference \u2014 the idea that \u201cnature\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ecological Policy"","block_context":{"text":"Ecological Policy","link":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lackey\/category\/ecological-policy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/2961\/files\/2025\/08\/Blog-Artwork-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2024,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lackey\/2023\/12\/24\/seminar-columbia-river-basin-how-would-ending-fishing-and-closing-hatcheries-change-wild-salmon-and-steelhead-abundance\/","url_meta":{"origin":1055,"position":4},"title":"PACIFIC SALMON COMMISSION SEMINAR \u2014 Columbia River Basin: How Would Ending Fishing and Closing Hatcheries Change Wild Salmon and Steelhead Abundance?*","author":"Robert Lackey","date":"December 24, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Robert T. Lackey Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences Oregon State University Corvallis, Oregon\u00a0 97331 *********************** https:\/\/media.oregonstate.edu\/media\/t\/1_xoz803bc *********************** Seminar Summary: The overall public policy goal of restoring Pacific salmon wild runs in the Columbia River Basin appears to enjoy widespread public support.\u00a0 Billions of dollars have failed to reverse\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ecological Policy"","block_context":{"text":"Ecological Policy","link":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lackey\/category\/ecological-policy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1212,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lackey\/2019\/03\/18\/axioms-that-help-deconstruct-ecological-policy\/","url_meta":{"origin":1055,"position":5},"title":"Axioms for Deconstructing Ecological Policy","author":"Robert Lackey","date":"March 18, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by\u00a0 Robert T. Lackey Many of today\u2019s ecological policy issues are politically contentious, socially wrenching, and replete with scientific uncertainty.\u00a0 They are\u00a0often described as wicked, messy policy problems (e.g., reversing the decline of salmon;\u00a0 deciding on the proper role of wildfire on public lands;\u00a0 what to do, if anything, about\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ecological Policy"","block_context":{"text":"Ecological Policy","link":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lackey\/category\/ecological-policy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lackey\/files\/2019\/01\/Blog-Logo.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lackey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lackey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lackey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lackey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4014"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lackey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1055"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lackey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1055\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1684,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lackey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1055\/revisions\/1684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lackey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lackey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/lackey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}