The increase of human populations in urban areas has profound affects on the management of natural resources within and surrounding these human-dominated landscapes. Urban areas affect landscapes through the fragmentation of natural habitats, altering of hydrological systems, and modifications of energy flows and nutrient cycles. These changes have prompted scholars in the natural and social sciences to call for an ecosystem-based approach to the management of human settlements. While considerable literature exists on the definition, theoretical underpinnings, and methods for applying ecosystem-based management (EBM), few studies have examined whether urban and regional planners consider the principles of EBM when developing environmental policy. In this study, we assess the extent to which  planners use elements of EBM when developing environmental policies. Using interview data from planners in 42 jurisdictions in the Pacific Northwest, we address three specific research questions: (1) what elements of EBM are prominent when environmental planners review scientific information? (2) what elements of EBM do environmental planners routinely neglect when reviewing scientific information? And (3) why are some elements of EBM considered, while other elements neglected? Our results suggest that issues of data collection, monitoring, and values are central to the review of the scientific literature; however, urban and regional planners routinely neglect elements of scale, adaptive management and ecological boundaries. The data also suggest that the consideration of EBM-specific information is affected by the size of jurisdiction and the level of urbanization pressure.