Ecological risk assessment at contaminated sites

Orientation towards ecological aspects is a legal objective of remediation of contaminated sites in Austria. This report gives an overview of ecological principles and their significance for a functioning environment. It describes internationally applied risk assessment concepts and proposes the implementation of ecological risk assessments for contaminated sites. In addition to basic ecological processes, the services provided by ecosystems are also presented to human beings, as they can also be affected or damaged by pollutants. In addition to chemical analyses and ecotoxicity tests, the use of bioassays (biological tests with selected organisms on site samples) is discussed in particular in order to measure the interference in contaminated sites. Their use is recommended as part of a step-by-step approach to environmental risk assessment in Austria.