Pressure, State, Response Framework

This identifies the activities which are affecting the condition of the environment and how a suitable response might be developed to address the problems identified. This was originally developed in about 1979 but was subsequently amended to the acronym DSR by the UN Commission on Sustainable Development and further extended to DPSIR by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in the 1990s.

Pressure is exerted on the environment by human activities, these change the environmental conditions (i.e. the State), and a Response is made to reduce, mitigate or prevent the Pressures and changes in the State of the environment. This framework can help identify causal links between processes and to inform decision makers on the potential impacts of choices made.