Die ökologische Bewertung von Seeufern in Deutschland

Goal and Scope

Details about the ecological function of lake shores as ecotones between land and lakes are not well-known. These ecotones are also heavily exploited and, in part, considerably changed. Whereas anthropogenic nutrient loading is decreasing, structural changes are increasing. Unfortunately, there is a deficit in methods of evaluation and decision processes.

Main Focus

Even the EU-water framework directive was no remedy for this deficit, as lake shores were included only implicitly. In this article several evaluation methods and their conceptual groundwork are presented. However, these methods were not developed for lake shore research. Therefore, criteria are proposed which could fulfill the specific demands of lake shore assessments. The management of lakes shores should consider structural and biological parameters, and be agreeable to local residents.

Results and Conclusions

In addition to conventional biodiversity methods, the ecology of lake shores could also be represented by a functional food net, for example in benthic invertebrates. But even quantification of biodiversity alone creates many problems. A simple biodiversity index cannot meet all the demands placed on a method of evaluation in complex situations, especially when coupled with additional information on structure, practicability, costs, etc. For these reasons, assessments for future management cannot be based on such an index.

Outlook

A possible approach to include this complexity in assessments is to apply mathematical models and theoretical order concepts.     

Teil V: Das Umweltinformationssystem der Universität Osnabrück

The basis for the first energy and flow analysis of the University of Osnabrück and the resulting ecobalance was an extensive data collection, preparation and processing. To simplify drawing up the balance in the following years and to facilitate an eco-controlling based on this data, a concept for a University’s Environmental Information System (EIS) was developed. It consists of three parts: the operative level includes the data bases of the individual administrative departments; at the central data base level, the ecobalance and the environmental characteristic values are computed; and the processing and presentational level serves as an interface between the data and users. The implementation of the EIS is intended within the framework of the general Management Information System, the development of which was started in 1998.     

Teil II: Stoffstromnetze für Fruchtfolgen

The general results of material flow analyses for agricultural farms presented in Part I are now specified for three farms in Lower Saxony. For this, the existing material flow net for winter wheat is extended by the crops of winter barley, winter rye, summer barley, rape, sugar beets and potatoes. The assessment is essentially done regarding the impact categories of resource depletion, cumulated energy demand (CED) and emissions to atmosphere. Besides the assessment of single farms or crops, also the comparison, of different agricultural production systems is possible, whereby the choice of the functional unit and the basis of comparison (with reference to input or output) is of major importance. Additionally, as for agricultural means of production, the material flows and emissions resulting from the provision of carbolime — an often employed carbonate fertiliser as for sugar-beet cultivation — are derived completely within this article. Furthermore, sensitivity analyses on the subject of detail intensity of agricultural basic data are presented for the example of machine employment. The material flow nets are regarded as transferable to other farms with similar crop rotation systems, with an appropriate expenditure of information gathering and parameterisation. The complete net can be used as a module within further investigations, e.g. of the industrial processing of food, as a pre-production chain for agricultural resources being part of the production process (winter wheat — mill, brewing barley — brewery, sugar beets — sugar-factory).     

Teil I: Braucht die Landwirtschaft Umweltmanagementsysteme?

The farming community is today faced with requests by various interest groups to implement environmental management systems (EMS). The series of items shows principle theoretical questions of the method and the advantages of EMS (part I and II), presents the practical outcome (part III) and give a recommendation for potential users of EMS in agricultural systems (part IV). The study conducted outlines the method of the implementing an EMS according to the Environmental Management and Audit System (EMAS) and ISO 14001. Further advantages and disadvantages for the agricultural industry are addressed. Even though terms such as site can not easily be defined or problems with open material cycles and structural particularity of agricultural farms there appears to be a benefit to implement. The transparency and documentation of the material flow as well as the economical benefits of an optimized organization count towards the EMS. Further EMS can be a means to strengthen the argumentative position for example with the public, authorities, banks or insurance. This concurs with minimizing company liabilities and obtaining governmental privileges (deregulation).     

Teil II: Lösungsansätze für den landwirtschaftlichen Betrieb bei der Implementierung eines Umweltmanagementsystems

The registration of the present situation regarding environmental investigation is the basis for efficiently proceeding in the course of the implementation of environmental management systems (EMS). The basic analysis is found on the individual elements: reaction audit, management audit and compliance audit. Via an optimal performance of an environmental investigation while implementing an EMS, the basis for a maximum utilization has been created for the user as well for agriculture. Utilization for the company is provided by documentation of the organizational structure showing a transparency of procedures with regard to efficiency. Furthermore, an EMS is useful in the course of external tasks, e.g. public approach, business partners, position to authorities, deregulation or minimization of liability.     

Teil II: Verfahren zur Monetarisierung von Ökosystemleistungen

As it is practically impossible in an industrial society to reduce impacts into ecosystems to a level that would preclude any damages, the need for damage valuation arises. One of the available valuation tools is the economic approach. Subsequent publications present this approach using the example of soils. In this second part, two methods are presented for monetarising ecosystem services, the contingent valuation method, the valuation on the basis of restoration and replacement costs. Common arguments against the monetarisation of ecosystems, like the omission of intrinsic values or the incomplete information of individuals, are then discussed. In conclusion, limits and possibilities of monetarising ecosystem services are described.     

Untersuchungen zur Eignung von Neutralsalzen als Referenzmittel bei der mikrobiologisch-ökotoxikologischen Bewertung von Pflanzenschutzmitteln im Boden

Goal and Scope

The information value of microbiologicalecotoxicological investigations of pesticides in soil increases if reference compounds with known biocidal effects are included. But those reference compounds used until now often are of remarkable environmental and human toxicity and therefore are difficult to handle. Inorganic neutral salts sometimes were discussed as alternatives, but their suitability needs to be tested before.

Methods

For laboratory experiments some microbial activities in soil were selected whose effects had been proved in several microbiological-ecotoxicological investigations. They include the mineralization of carbon and nitrogen (+ nitrification) as well as the biomass-related parameters dehydrogenase activity and substrate-induced short-term respiration. Several agricultural soils were used to confirm the results.     

Teil III: Die Verkehrsbilanz der Universität Osnabrück

One central aspect of the environmental management system for universities developed in Osnabrück is the environmental audit of universities, realized by an ecobalance. This article deals with modelling the material and energy flows caused by the University’s commuters (staff and students), and by the business trips of employees, using the software Umberto^®. The result is the University’s traffic balance. 10,000 MWh of energy are consumed yearly by the University’s traffic. 94% of the consumption is caused by commuters (1,300 employees and 11,500 students) and only 6% by business trips. Compared with the whole energy consumption of the University, the traffic’s share is 32% and therefore lies between the electricity’s share (25%) and that of heat (43%). Similarly related are the CO₂ emissions, caused by traffic (3,160 tons per anno). Compared with the whole CO₂ emissions of the University the traffic’s share is 31%, thus putting it between the heat’s share (27%) and that of electricity (42%). Although the average weekly distance the University’s commuters drive (79 km/student and 84 km/employer) is at the bottom of the range for other comparable universities, a transportation demand management for a further reduction of the traffic-caused CO₂ emissions should be implemented.     

Teil I: Das Osnabrücker Umweltmanagement-Modell für Hochschulen

Through their use of energy and materials, universities cause a great deal of environmental pollution which could be reduced considerably by an effective choice of organizational and technical measures. There are some examples for environmental protection measures at several universities, but a professional environmental management system (EMS) for universities with a systematic approach to reduce the consumption of resources is lacking. At the University of Osnabrück, the basis for an EMS applicable for a university has been developed for the first time in Germany and the use of this system can also be transferred to other universities. The EMS is composed of ten building blocks, for example, alteration of the administration’s organizational structure, adoption of environmental guidelines, analysis of the energy and material flows which result in an eco-balance, an environmental program or measures to inform the staff and to help to involve them in environmental management. Over the next months, these ten building blocks will gradually be implemented at the University of Osnabrück. Five articles will provide an overview about the EMS developed for the University of Osnabrück as a whole and will describe parts of the material and energy flow analysis, and the planned environmental information system.

Part I: An Environmental Management Model for Universities: From Environmental Guidelines to the Involvement of Employees

Part II: The Energy Balance of the University of Osnabrück: Analysis of the Energy Flows and Conclusions

Part III: The Traffic Balance of the University of Osnabrück: Calculation of the Environmental Pollution which is caused by the University’s Commuters and Business Trips

Part IV: A Concept of Waste Reduction for the University of Osnabrück: Constructing the Waste Balance and Measures to Inform and Involve the Staff

Part V: The Planned Environmental Information System of the University of Osnabrück: Concept and Integration into the Management Information System

     

Teil II: Die Energiebilanz der Universität Osnabrück

One central aspect of the environmental management system for universities developed in Osnabrück is the environmental audit of universities as realized by an ecobalance. This article deals with modelling of the material and energy flows caused by the energy supply of the University in Osnabrück using the software Umberto^®. The result is the university’s energy balance. 37% of the primary energy gets lost in the pre-processes of energy production, mainly during electricity generation. The final energy consumption of the university can be split into 37% electricity and 63% heat, whereas the relation of CO₂ emissions is almost the opposite. Related to this area, the electricity consumption in the different buildings is partially above that seen in similar university buildings in Germany, but below that of all the other values observed for universities located in Lower Saxony. Both the electricity and heat consumption, and therefore also the climate-damaging emissions of CO₂, have increased over the past years. Without further measures the university will not be able to achieve the CO₂-reduction target of the federal government. Recommended are the increased use of district heating power stations to produce the university’s own electricity with lower emissions and energy saving measures, especially in the field of electricity which is responsible for high CO₂-emissions.     

Teil VI: Die Ökobilanz der Universität Osnabrück

Within the development of the “Osnabrück Environmental Management Model for Universities,” an environmental audit for the university has been carried out for the first time. It was implemented by way of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) based on ISO 14 040. Following this, an LCA includes the four steps:goal and scope definition, inventory analysis, impact assessment andinterpretation. The impact assessment phase of the LCA was carried out following the ”UBA-Method” of the German Federal Environmental Agency (UBA) which is based on the method of impact categories described in ISO 14 040 and implemented in the software Umberto^®. The most significant results are that the University contributes “considerably” towards both categories, “Depletion of fossil energy resources” and “Climate change”. The main causes of this are electricity and heat consumption as well as traffic. In order to improve its environmental situation, the university has been recommended to reduce its CO₂ emissions, its consumption of fossil energy resources and its methane emissions.     

Batterienrecycling: Möglichkeiten zur Erhöhung der Rücklaufquote

Separate collection and exploitation of used batteries facilates the recycling and eventual waste management of such heavy metals as mercury and cadmium. It is thereby possible to regain raw materials like zinc, manganese and iron for the raw material cycle. Although the collection and recycling of used batteries in Switzerland is financed by a prepaid disposal fee, their returning rate of almost 60% is too low for several reasons. A questionnaire survey carried out on 2000 households revealed the following frequenthy: People collecting paper, glass, aluminium, compost and tinplate, are more separate used batteries from ordinary garbage. The number of collecting points is supposed to be sufficient, but not all of them are sufficiently marked. The prepaid disposal fee (VEG) should become obligatory so that it would be possible to compensate the collecting points. It is not obvious from the results of the survey if the introduction of a deposit of batteries would raise the retourning rate. As far as advertising is concerned, only the “battery bag” sent to every household by the BESO seemed to influence the collecting behaviour in a positive way, poster advertising had only little effect. Appeals in newspapers, radio and television did not show any changement of the collecting behaviour. However, information and knowledge about batteries and their recycling do have a positive influence in the collecting behaviour of the consumers in this specific case.     

Teil II: Analytik von Toxaphenrückständen (UWSF 2/1998)

Residue analysis of toxaphene has been difficult because of the complexicity of the technical mixture consisting of a high number of compounds with very similar structure and differing chloro content. Furthermore, the composition of toxaphene in environmental samples varies widely and is normally not like that of the technical mixture. Therefore, quantification of single components in environmental samples was impossible. After the isolation and identification of a great number of components during the last decade, enough standards are available for reliable quantification of toxaphene in all environmental compartments. Recently, most research has been done on the separation of chiral components of toxaphene with a view to identify degradation mechanisms and distribution pathways.     

Analytik von Mineralölkohlenwasserstoffen: Die Problematik der Probenaufbereitung

For the determination of mineral oil hydrocarbons in water and soil, IR-as well as GC/FID-methods (DEV H-18, ISO/TR 11046, NEN 5733) are used. Independent of the measurement method, different clean-up procedures are prescribed in these standard methods. Aluminium oxide, silica gel and magnesium silicate (Florisil^®) are used as adsorbents. This article describes the problems of clean-up occurring in mineral oil analysis using selected substances. Tests concerning the type of adsorbent, extract medium, clean-up-technique and extract/adsorbent-ratio are presented. It will be shown that the clean-up procedure has to be counted as a significant factor of influence in the determination of mineral oil hydrocarbons. The sources of errors resulting from clean-up as well as the possibilities to avoid them are presented. An extraction solvent for soils which is simple to handle and optimally adjustable to the requirements of the clean-up procedure is presented.