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Use of the guild concept in environmental impact assessment

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Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to clarify and expand several ideas concerning use of the guild concept in environmental impact assessment Background material on the concept and examples of its use are given. It is argued that for purposes of environmental assessment a resource-based guild approach is preferable to a taxonomic-based approach. Validity of the guild concept, problems in classifying species into guilds, implications of guild membership, and usefulness of guild analyses are discussed. I conclude that only with a thorough knowledge of both its limitations and benefits will it be possible to fully use the guild concept for understanding organizational processes in communities and ecosystems and for assessing environmental impacts.

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  1. Department of Biology and Ecology Center, UMC 53, Utah State University, 84322, Logan, Utah

    Peter B. Landres

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Landres, P.B. Use of the guild concept in environmental impact assessment. Environmental Management 7, 393–397 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01867118

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