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the assessment of potential restraints on reducing ecological stress as
part of strategy formation and the identi
cation of measures by which
these might be addressed; and the assessment of economic and social
impacts of strategies with a view to providing information for discussion
and decision-making on policy contents. However, I depart from Boothroyd
'
s
proposals for policy assessment in an important respect. These are
concerned with the assessment of extant or proposed policies and their
amelioration. A system for ecological governance should go further in
requiring that the assessment of options for meeting objectives in differ-
ent policy areas should be conducted periodically as part of a
'
whole of
government
review.Itcallsforpolicythatisdesignedtodrivesocietal
change rather than seeking the incremental improvement of policy
proposals as they arise.
'
3.3.1 Ecological protection as a strategic objective
A legal framework for policy-making must, if it is to result in better
ecological outcomes, provide a clear statement at its outset of the ends
that policies should achieve. Clarity about the goals of the process gives
direction as to how mechanisms for policy formation should be applied.
For example, the availability of an overarching vision against which
the assessment of policy options might be conducted is essential if the
alternatives that are most likely to reach desired ends are to be identi-
ed.
56
A statutorily entrenched objective for policy-making will also
promote change in the way that decisions on policy contents are made
although, as discussed in
Section 3.4
, statutory entrenchment is not, of
itself, suf
cient to drive institutional change.
The statement of objectives I propose would make it clear that the
purpose of ecologically oriented policy-making is to reduce the erosive
effects of human activities on the resilience of ecosystems, and to end
reliance on activities that are most likely to trigger change in their states.
It would also require that, in light of this, policies should be designed to
reduce anthropogenic stresses on ecosystems that may expose them to,
or cause, regime shifts as far as possible, and within the quickest feasible
timescales for social and economic adaptation.
A statement of this kind would not create substantive goals for policy-
making. The reality is that our poor understanding of ecological behaviour
56
B. F. Noble,
'
Strategic Environmental Assessment: What is it and What Makes it
Strategic?
'
(2000) 2 Journal of Environmental Assessment, Policy, and Management, 207.
