A review of ecological mitigation measures in UK environmental statements with respect to sustainable development

SUMMARY

The European and UK legislation on environmental assessment (EA), as well as requiring assessment of significant ecological effects, also requires development proponents to recommend mitigation measures for adverse impacts.

Drawing on a review of proposed ecological mitigation measures in 194 environmental statements (ES) for UK development proposals, this paper highlights problems with the current legislation in ensuring that ecological impacts are mitigated effectively, with a view to sustainable development.

The review reveals confusion about the extent to which ecological mitigation is required. First, there is no objective basis for deciding which potentially adverse impacts should be mitigated. Proposed mitigation measures do not always relate directly to the ecological impacts identified in ES and there is a high risk of residual adverse effects. Second, there is no generally accepted method for evaluating the effectiveness of proposed mitigation measures, despite a clear recommendation from the UK's Department of the Environment (DOE, 1989) that an ‘assessment of the likely effectiveness’ of mitigation measures should be included in ES. Methods which can be used to evaluate the likely feasibility, costs and redistributional effects of ecological mitigation measures in EA are needed. Some of the factors which should be taken into account are considered in this paper.     

Prioritizing Wildlife Taxa for Biological Diversity Conservation at the Local Scale

/ We identified and ranked 108 resident and migratory wildlife taxa on John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) that were vulnerable to local, regional, or global extinction. We ranked taxa based on their vulnerability to extinction, their potential role for maintaining faunal integrity, and the relevance of KSC for maintaining their populations in the United States and Florida. Several taxa, not listed by agencies, were vulnerable to regional or global extinction. Many taxa not vulnerable to global extinction were vulnerable to local and regional extinction. Top predators were vulnerable to extinction because of small population size, isolation from other populations, and road mortality. Many taxa were dependent on habitat conditions at different geographic locations so that conservation required greater collaboration among land owners, managers, and researchers at local, regional, and global scales.KEY WORDS: Biological diversity; Endangered species; Conservation     

Do tailings from the Mariana,MG (Brazil), disaster affect the initial development of millet,maize, and sorghum?

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The collapse of the Fundão dam in Mariana, MG, in 2015 resulted in the overflow of more than 50 million m3 of mud containing mine tailings,...     

Radiological hazard assessment of natural gross radioactivity in some cosmetic products

Many kinds of cosmetic products were analyzed to determine gross radioactivity. In this study, gross alpha/beta radioactivity concentrations in 51 cosmetic samples were determined. The examined cosmetic products consist of blusher, eye shadow, lipstick, nail polish, shampoo, hand cream, cellulite cream, baby powder, soap, and toothpaste. The gross alpha–beta activity concentrations were measured with a nuclear spectroscopic system which contains gas-flow proportional counters. The highest gross alpha/beta activity concentrations were found in eye shadow samples of 1.621Bq g^?1 for alpha and 6.471Bq g^?1 for beta. The total effective doses due to gross radioactivity for skin were calculated. Although the effective dose of eye shadow samples had the highest value, the effective doses due to gross radioactivity concentrations in this study were found to be lower than the radiological limits given by the authorities.     

Mass balance in the monitoring of pollutants in tidal rivers of the Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

This study addressed the identification and monitoring of pollution sources of terrestrial origin in rivers (domestic sewage and industrial effluents) and critical fluvial segments in highly polluted environments under tidal influence (mixing marine and continental sources) from Guanabara Bay Basin, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The mass balance of contaminants was determined in conditions of continuous flow (low tide) during dry season (lower dilution capability). The results allowed the evaluation of the potential of contaminant mass generation by the different river segments and the estimation of their natural and anthropogenic components. The water quality of Igua?ú and Sarapuí Rivers were evaluated for metals and biochemical oxygen demand. The method gave an excellent response, including the possibility of sources identification and contaminated river segments ranking. The approach also offers fast execution and data interpretation, being highly efficient.     

Microcystins and cyanobacteria trends in a 14 year monitoring of a temperate eutrophic reservoir (Aguieira, Portugal)

A monitoring program of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in the framework of the surveillance of the Water Treatment Plant efficiency of the municipality of Santa Comba D?o (Portugal) was conducted from 1994 until 2007. With these data we aimed to answer the question, are MCs produced evenly over the years in a single water body? Samples were taken by the local health authorities in the site of the Water treatment plant and analyzed for total phytoplankton, cyanobacteria and the hepatotoxic cyanotoxins microcystins (MCs). Apart from 1999 and 2000, cyanobacteria represented a high proportion of total phytoplankton, attaining during several months of the year more than 90% of total phytoplankton density. A total of 24 cyanobacteria species were identified and Microcystis aeruginosa, Anabaena flos-aquae and Aphanizomenon flos-aquae were the main potentially toxic cyanobacteria species present throughout the period. MC concentration varied between 0.3 μg MC-LR eq l?1 in October 98 and 87.0 μg MC-LR eq l?1 in September 2001. The evolution of the average cell quota does not reveal any especial trend, although in 2001 the quota was the highest but not significantly different from the other years. The threshold limit of 5000 cells per ml of Microcystis aeruginosa should be taken into consideration in monitoring programs because the 10,000 cells per ml proposed by several other national programs might not be enough to prevent human health risks. Due to high annual variation in MC cell quota, monitoring programs of cyanobacteria and MC should be extended in time, since short term studies do not provide us the data needed for a safe management of a water body used for human purposes.     

Nematode community structure in the vicinity of a metallurgical factory

Soil nematode communities (taxa composition, trophic structure, ecological indices) in the area of metallurgical factory (Oravské ferozliatinárske závody) in ?iroká, Northern Slovakia were investigated in 2009. The factory belongs to main sources of emissions originated by ferroalloy production in this region. Four sites (meadows) were selected in a downwind direction from the factory: site A was located 0.85 km far from the factory, and the other sites were maintained in approximately 2-km intervals from each other. Chemical analysis of soil samples showed low concentrations of heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn), with all values being under Slovak limit concentrations of heavy metals in soils. Only the Cd content in the soil sample from site A slightly exceeded the allowable threshold, but it was decreasing with the distance from the factory, similarly as remaining metals except Cr, with slightly increasing trend of concentration. Within 64 identified nematode genera, the Helicotylenchus, Paratylenchus, Pratylenchus, Acrobeloides, Cephalobus and Rhabditis were most common and eudominant. This was clearly reflected on the trophic structure of nematode communities, where plant feeding nematodes and bacteriovorous prevailed. Significant negative correlation (P?相似文献   

Geoprocessing applied to the assessment of environmental noise: a case study in the city of Sorocaba, S?o Paulo, Brazil

Noise mapping has been used as an instrument for assessment of environmental noise, helping to support decision making on urban planning. In Brazil, urban noise is not yet recognized as a major environmental problem by the government. Besides, cities that have databases to drive acoustic simulations, making use of advanced noise mapping systems, are rare. This study sought an alternative method of noise mapping through the use of geoprocessing, which is feasible for the Brazilian reality and for other developing countries. The area chosen for the study was the central zone of the city of Sorocaba, located in São Paulo State, Brazil. The proposed method was effective in the spatial evaluation of equivalent sound pressure level. The results showed an urban area with high noise levels that exceed the legal standard, posing a threat to the welfare of the population.     

Integrated survey of water pollution in the Suquía River basin (Córdoba, Argentina)

We report a combined two-year seasonal monitoring of Suquía River basin using both chemical parameters and biomarkers measured in Jenynsia multidentata, aiming to correlate external levels of contaminants with the response of oxidative stress biomarkers in this fish. Identified pollution sources correspond to city sewage as well as agricultural and small industry activities downstream from Córdoba city. Physicochemical parameters integrated into a water quality index (WQI) were measured in Suquía River during dry and wet seasons. Ag, Mn, Cu, Cr, Ni, Fe, Pb and Zn were also monitored in water and sediment samples. Biomarkers include detoxication and antioxidant enzymes: catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), glutathione S-transferase (GST) and glutathione reductase (GR). Enzymes showed a pollution dependent response, with increased activities in fish collected close to the sewage exit and progressive drop further downstream, matching changes in the Water Quality index. The combined use of biomarkers with water quality parameters allowed both the identification of pollution sources and the evaluation of effects of contaminants on the aquatic biota.     

Environmental risk assessment of cobalt and manganese from industrial sources in an estuarine system

A total of 74 samples of soil, sediment, industrial sludge, and surface water were collected in a Mediterranean estuarine system in order to assess the potential ecological impact of elevated concentrations of Co and Mn associated with a Terephthalic (PTA) and Isophthalic (PIPA) acids production plant. Samples were analyzed for elemental composition (37 elements), pH, redox potential, organic carbon, and CaCO₃ content, and a group of 16 selected samples were additionally subjected to a Tessier sequential extraction. Co and Mn soil concentrations were significantly higher inside the industrial facility and around its perimeter than in background samples, and maximum dissolved Co and Mn concentrations were found in a creek near the plant’s discharge point, reaching values 17,700 and 156 times higher than their respective background concentrations. The ecological risk was evaluated as a function of Co and Mn fractionation and bioavailability which were controlled by the environmental conditions generated by the advance of seawater into the estuarine system during high tide. Co appeared to precipitate near the river mouth due to the pH increase produced by the influence of seawater intrusion, reaching hazardous concentrations in sediments. In terms of their bioavailability and the corresponding risk assessment code, both Co and Mn present sediment concentrations that result in medium to high ecological risk whereas water concentrations of both elements reach values that more than double their corresponding Secondary Acute Values.