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DETECTING δ
ENVIRONMENTAL
CHANGE
Science and Society t
17-20 July 2001 δ
London, UK
www.nmw.ac.uk/change2001
Organised by:
UK Environmental Change Network
NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
Environmental Change Research Centre at UCL
International Long-Term Environmental Research Network
Supported by:
Scottish Executive Environment Environment Agency Department for Environment,
and Rural Affairs Department Food and Rural Affairs
Notes
This volume includes all the abstracts received up to 30th June 2001. Changes notified after this date
have not been included.
As far as possible, all information in this volume is as supplied by the authors represented, and we
cannot guarantee that the volume is free from errors or omissions.
The information contained in this abstract volume does not necessarily reflect the views of the
conference organisers or its sponsors.
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Detecting Environmental Change: Science and Society - 17-20 July 2001 - London, UK
Oral papers
1 INFERRING CHANGES IN LAND USE IN GREAT BRITAIN FROM THE
COUNTRYSIDE SURVEY DATASETS.
C J Barr, D C Howard and J W Watkins
Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Merlewood, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria. LA11 6JU. UK.
Land use is an event that has both temporal and spatial qualities. It is relatively straightforward to
record the spatial aspects, i.e. the land cover, but the temporal part is much more demanding.
Collecting information on use and changes in land use is time consuming and often requires one-to-one
interviews with farmers and land managers. Response rates may be disappointing and resultant
information can be variable in quality. Alternative means of gathering such information are worth
exploring.
Fortunately, there is a close relationship between land cover and land use. The primary purpose of the
Countryside Surveys of 1978, 1984, 1990 and 1998 has been to make estimates of the national and
regional stock of land cover, landscape features, vegetation, soils and freshwater biota, and changes in
these over time. However, as part of the data collection, information is recorded which allows
inferences to be made about the use to which different recorded land parcels are being put at the time of
survey. Some land use data are recorded routinely as part of the survey protocol (eg livestock type,
woodland use, building type), other data give good evidence for certain land uses to be in operation (eg
certain habitats present, dominant tree species, presence of grouse butts) and some data infer something
about the quality of land usage (eg gappiness of hedges, dominance of certain grass species, age of tree
species). The potential of the CS database to quantify land use, as a driver of change, has not been fully
explored until now.
This paper describes a re-examination of the land in the 569 1 km CS sample squares throughout Great
Britain to produce estimates of the area of land under different land uses, with additional information
on the sub-types of land use and the quality or intensity of land management. Change in these metrics
is computed over time and results are compared generally with independent sources of land use
information (such as the MAFF June Returns, the Farm Business Survey and other, targeted surveys). It
is concluded that the Countryside Surveys are able to detect change in some land uses but others are
difficult to validate using external data due to differences in definitions, methodology and timing of
surveys.
2 APPLICATION OF INTERNET TECHNOLOGIES TO ENVIRONMENTAL
MONITORING AND EDUCATION AT THE LOCAL LEVEL IN IWATE
PREFECTURE, JAPAN
Brendan Barrett, Fellow/Associate Professor
Institute of Advanced Studies, United Nations University (UNU/IAS), 53-67 Jingumae 5-chome,
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8304, Japan
Tel: +81-3-5467-2817, Fax: +81-3-5467-2324, Email: barrett@ias.unu.edu
URL:"http://www.ias.unu.edu/ecology"
IEN, launched in September 1998, explores the local dimensions of environmental sustainability
through the application of new information and communication technologies (ICTs). It is a
collaborative project based on a partnership between UNU/IAS, Iwate Prefectural Government and
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT). IEN combines six basic elements –
environmental monitoring, information system development, environmental education, research,
capacity building and institutional networking. An information system has been developed which
includes real-time sensors placed in the environment to monitor air (NO2, CO2 and SPM) and water
quality (ten different indicators), linked to databases located at two NTT research facilities in Japan,
seamlessly connected via the Internet.
As part of this project, a number of activities have been implemented to promote local innovation in
monitoring environmental change and in support of environmental education. Key achievements
include the use of the Internet to support compulsory education with the online monitoring of Acid
Rain levels.
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Detecting Environmental Change: Science and Society - 17-20 July 2001 - London, UK
Local teachers have been closely involved in the development of new teaching for environmental
education using the Internet. For instance, they developed a sub-project that involved 200 schools in
the monitoring of the Cherry Blossom across the prefecture. In addition, one teacher went diving on the
local coastline and gave a real-time/interactive lesson to children in 5 local schools. Another gave a
real-time environmental lesson using multipoint videoconferencing which linked three schools with
experts from local environmental installations. These and other aspects of the project will be examined
in the paper which will focus on the social implications of the Internet as a tool for environmental
monitoring, information dissemination and public participation
In order to better appreciate local environmental attitudes of young children and their views of the role
of various information media, a survey was undertaken of the environmental attitudes of 1,000 high
school students with the results disseminated online. Moreover, in June/August 2000, students from
three local schools were given the opportunity to remotely observe via the Internet the nesting of the
Black-tailed Gull in a national conservation area. More recently, in September 2000, with cooperation
from Iwate Prefectural University, preparatory work began on the development of demonstration
modules for a web-based Virtual University on the theme of the environmental change.
This environmental monitoring project has significant social implications for the locality and
elsewhere. It has been extensively reported in the local press and on national television. In line with the
goals of Agenda 21, the project seeks to strengthen local capacities and environmental decision-making
while at the same time providing local stakeholders with access to relevant, reliable, and useful
environmental information in a cost-effective manner. The project uses ICTs to build new links
between local institutions and the wider community, as well as to promote environmental education
and awareness. Through this action-oriented project, the United Nations University is developing a
model for “networked digital environmental governance” that can be replicated in other parts of the
world.
A project website is available at: http://www.ias.unu.edu/ecology
3 DECADAL-SCALE CHANGE IN LAKE ECOSYSTEMS
Richard W. Battarbee (1), Don T. Monteith (1), Roger J. Flower (1), Alan Jenkins (2)
(1) Environmental Change Research Centre, University College London, 26 Bedford Way, London
WC1H 0AP
(2) Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB
Lake ecosystems have been increasingly disturbed and polluted by human activity over the last two
centuries. Consequently, the importance of conserving aquatic ecosystems by managing water
resources in a sustainable way is widely recognised.
In developing a strategy for the sustainable use of lakes it is crucial that we understand how lakes vary
through time on different time-scales, past, present and future. Such understanding requires a
combination of methods using data from monitoring programmes, from palaeoecological
reconstruction and from dynamic modelling.
In this presentation we illustrate our approach using data from the UK acid waters monitoring network.
In particular we demonstrate the role of the monitoring programme not only for its own sake but also as
the basis for verifying output from models used both for reconstructing (transfer functions) and
predicting ecological change.
4 REVIEW OF BACKGROUND WATER QUALITY IN LATVIA FROM THE
ICP-WATERS OBSERVATION RESULTS, 1946-1998
I.Lyulko, P.Berg, D.Leveika, M.Frolova, T.Ambalova, A.Kovalevska
Environmental Quality Observation Department, Latvian Hydrometeorological Agency, 165 Maskavas
str. LV-1019 Riga, Latvia
The International Cooperative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of Acidification of Rivers
and Lakes (ICP-Water) is one among the five ICPs established within the Convention on Long-Range
Transboundary Air Pollution that cover freshwaters, forests, crops, materials and integrated monitoring.
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Detecting Environmental Change: Science and Society - 17-20 July 2001 - London, UK
The present review provides the systemised and generalised observation results obtained from the
national background water quality network involved in the International ICP-Waters Programme aimed
at:
determining of pollutants in different compartments of the environment;
detecting of the impact of pollutants on ecosystems and their components;
predicting of the changes in the environment taking into consideration quality of pollutants transmitted
and climate change dynamics.
During the last ten years, international emission reduction measures in Europe have resulted in a
decrease in atmospheric sulphur deposition of up to 50%. Nitrogen deposition has remained nearly
constant. To relate these developments to the changes in the surface water chemistry and biology, the
ICP-Waters database was used in the assessments of trends in surface waters.
The present material, including assessment of background water quality, is also intended for assessing
the anthropogenic impact on water bodies located in different geographical regions of Latvia.
The background water quality network of Latvia covers water bodies the least exposed to the
anthropogenic impact that are located in the 3 major regions, Kurzeme, Zemgale and Vidzeme. There
are 5 ICP-Waters sites in Latvia: 3 rivers (Tulija, L.Jugla and Barta), 1 bog stream (Zvirbuli) and 1 lake
(Burtnieku).
The following principles are basic to the characterisation of water quality:
the comparison of the statistical data obtained for the variables (nutrients, pH, oxygen, salt
composition, heavy metals, hydrobiology) measured within four 10-year periods: i) 1946-1968, a
longer period because of few observation data; ii) 1969-1978; iii) 1979-1988; iv) 1989-1998;
establishing of interseasonal variability and the correlation with the hydrological characteristics and
chemistry of the precipitation.
the comparison of the statistical data with the water quality standards in action (Table 4), with more
"tough" standards being used for salmonid waters.
establishing of long-term dynamics in pollutant discharge and a comparison analysis of the dicharge
with water courses under strong anthropogenic impact.
Analysis of long-term hydrochemical, hydrobiological and hydrological measurement results show that
the ICP-Waters rivers are water objects of good quality, yet Ptot shows concentrations non-compliant
with the good water quality requirements in action in Latvia.
Water quality dynamics bears evidences of:
decreasing pH and oxygen concentration in the stream Zvirbuli;
decreasing sulphate concentration since the late 1980-ies;
increased sulphate and nitrate concentrations in the 1950-ies until the late 1980- ies when the
downward tendency was evident;
decreased phosphate concentrations since the end of the1970-ies;
Pollutant run-off calculations show generally higher pollution load (t/km2) on the ICP-Waters sites
than on ICP-IM sites, yet it is lower than in the principal rivers of the basins.
Nitrate and phosphate concentration measurements available for the period 1946-1958 (minimum for
the whole period under observation) may be used as the background concentrations in the assessments
of the share of the anthropogenic impact on small catchments.
5 DETECTING ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE: BENEFITS AND
IMPLICATIONS FOR SOCIETY – POLITICAL PERSPECTIVES
Frans Berkhout
University of Sussex
6 CAN PUBLIC POLICY KEEP UP WITH SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS? THE
CASE OF ACIDIFICATION POLICY IN NORTHERN SWEDEN?
1 1,2 1,2 3 1,2,3 3
K. Bishop, J. Hruska , P. Kram , S. Köhler , and Hjalmar H. Laudon , Olle Westling , Leif
Asbjørn Vøllestad4, Antonio, B. Poléeo4,5, Ulla Bertills5,6 and Kevin Bishop1
1Department of Environmental Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7050,
SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
2Czech Geological Survey, Klarov 3, 118 21, Praha 1, Czech Republic
3Department of Forest Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-901 86 Umeå,
Sweden
4IVL, Aneboda, SE-360 30 Lammhult, SWEDEN
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