EIA-Learning from Experience: Changes in the Quality of Environmental Impact Statements for UK Planning Projects

This paper draws on a research report recently produced (1996) by the authors for the UK Department of the Environment. The principal aim of the research was to establish clearly what changes, if any, there have been in the quality of Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) since the inception of mandatory EIA in 1988, and to explain reasons for the changes. The paper provides a critique of the meaning of 'quality' in an area such as this. Quality relates both to the EIS and to the EIA process. EIS quality can be assessed against various review frameworks in a structured and systematic way; quality can also be assessed according to the perspective of the individual participant in the EIA process. The findings of both macro and micro studies of quality are discussed. The macro study uses a range of review frameworks (minimum regulatory requirements, an EU framework, and comprehensive frameworks developed by EIA academics at UK universities, including Oxford Brookes University) for a large sample of EISs. The micro study uses a structured questionnaire of the participants (local planning officers, developers, consultants and others) involved in a smaller set of detailed case studies. The findings reveal that there has been a learning from experience and an improvementin quality, but they also highlight a number of problems in the EIA process. The paper outlines some of the determinants of the changes in quality, and concludes with recommendations for developments in EIA in response to particular issues raised. These recommendations are set in the context of European Commission amendments to the EC EIA Directive.     

Elution of p-Dichlorobenzene through compacted soil with alcohol-water mixtures

p-Dichlorobenzene (p-DCB) was eluted through a compacted ferruginous clay with dilute aqueous solutions of methanol, ethanol, n- and i-propanols, and n- and i-butanols. The presence of the alcohols results in very marked increases in the concentrations of p-DCB in the effluents from the clay-packed columns. Flux of p-DCB through the columns increases with increasing chain length of the alcohol, and normal alcohols increase the flux somewhat more than corresponding branched alcohols. Flux increases with increasing mole fraction of the alcohol. Flux enhancement is due almost exclusively to enhancement of the solubility of p-DCB.     

An inexpensive depth gauge for marine animals

Current models of time-at-depth gauges are so expensive that few can be deployed and only limited data obtained. We describe an inexpensive depth gauge for use on marine animals, which we tested on diving birds. The device was constructed from components costing $2 (US); and had a mass of 6 g. The gauge employs photographic film to record the depth-dependent position of a light emitting diode. The total time that the animal spends at each depth underwater can be determined.     

Prospects for utility and production in an economy with finite resources

The authors analyse per capita utility in a growing economy which has two exhaustible natural resorces. Per capita industrial output (X) and the remaining environmental resource (R). X is a Cobb—Douglas function of a growing labour force, capital, and the natural resources. The model predicts depletion of R when the elasticity of substitution (σ) is greater than unity. When σ is less than unity, per capita X continous to rise, but the rate of increase in utility becomes quite small. Only when σ is unity, do both per capita X and utility increase markedly through time.     

江西武夷成矿带铜多金属矿产资源远景评价与展望

华南武夷山地区处于扬子、华夏两大构造单元交接叠加地段,构造变形复杂,中生代岩浆活动强烈,具有十分优越的成矿条件,矿产资源潜力巨大.本文以正在武夷山成矿带开展的矿产远景调查工作和资源评价工作所取得的阶段性成果为基础,分析了武夷山成矿带的成矿地质背景、主要矿床类型及近几年的找矿勘查成果,并对武夷成矿带江西省境内铜多金属矿产资源潜力进行了初步评价,划分了十七个找矿远景区.     

Sea to land transfer of anthropogenic radionuclides to the North Wales coast, Part I: external gamma radiation and radionuclide concentrations in intertidal sediments, soil and air

Previous projects specifically aimed at performing radiological assessments in the vicinity of North Wales, investigating the presence and transfer of radionuclides from sea to land, were in 1986 and 1989. Since then, changes have occurred in the radioactive discharges from the British Nuclear Group Sellafield site. Annual discharges of (137)Cs, (238)Pu, (239,340)Pu and (241)Am have decreased markedly whereas, up until recent years, discharges of (99)Tc have increased. It is therefore desirable to quantify current transfer processes of radionuclides in the North Wales region and thus provide an update on 15-year-old studies. A field campaign was conducted collecting soil samples from 10 inland transects and air particulates on air filters from three High Volume Air Samplers, along the northern coast of Wales at Amlwch, Bangor Pier and Flint. Complementary field data relating to external gamma dose rates were collected at the soil sites. The field data generated for (137)Cs, (238)Pu, (239,340)Pu and (241)Am were consistent with what had been reported 15 years previously. Therefore, there has been no increase in the supply of these Sellafield-derived radionuclides to the terrestrial environment of the North Wales coast. The (99)Tc data in sediments were consistent with reported values within annual monitoring programmes, however, a relatively high activity concentration was measured in one sediment sample. This site was further investigated to determine the reason why such a high value was found. At present there is no clear evidence as to why this elevated concentration should be present, but the role of seaweed and its capacity in accumulating (99)Tc and transferring it to sediment is of interest. The analysis of the field samples for (99)Tc, (137)Cs, (238)Pu, (239,240)Pu and (241)Am has provided a data set that can be used for the modelling of the transfer of anthropogenic radionuclides from sea to land and its subsequent radiological implications and is reported in an accompanying paper.     

Does the preferential microbial colonisation of ferromagnesian minerals affect mineral weathering in soil?

Fungal activity is thought to play a direct and effective role in the breakdown and dissolution of primary minerals and in the synthesis of clay minerals in soil environments, with important consequences for plant growth and ecosystem functioning. We have studied primary mineral weathering in volcanic soils developed on trachydacite in southern Tuscany using a combination of qualitative and quantitative mineralogical and microbiological techniques. Specifically, we characterized the weathering and microbiological colonization of the magnetically separated ferromagnesian minerals (biotite and orthopyroxene) and non-ferromagnesian constituents (K-feldspar and volcanic glass) of the coarse sand fraction (250-1,000 microm). Our results show that in the basal horizons of the soils, the ferromagnesian minerals are much more intensively colonized by microorganisms than K-feldspar and glass, but that the composition of the microbial communities living on the two mineral fractions is similar. Moreover, X-ray diffraction, optical and scanning electron microscope observations show that although the ferromagnesian minerals are preferentially associated with an embryonic form of the clay mineral halloysite, they are still relatively fresh. We interpret our results as indicating that in this instance microbial activity, and particularly fungal activity, has not been an effective agent of mineral weathering, that the association with clay minerals is indirect, and that fungal weathering of primary minerals may not be as important a source of plant nutrients as previously claimed.     

Variation in levels of reactive oxygen species is explained by maternal identity, sex and body-size-corrected clutch size in a lizard

Many organisms show differences between males and females in growth rate and crucial life history parameters, such as longevity. Considering this, we may expect levels of toxic metabolic by-products of the respiratory chain, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), to vary with age and sex. Here, we analyse ROS levels in female Australian painted dragon lizards (Ctenophorus pictus) and their offspring using fluorescent probes and flow cytometry. Basal level of four ROS species (singlet oxygen, peroxynitrite, superoxide and H₂O₂) measured with a combined marker, and superoxide measured specifically, varied significantly among families but not between the sexes. When blood cells from offspring were chemically encouraged to accelerate the electron transport chain by mitochondrial uncoupling, net superoxide levels were three times higher in daughters than sons (resulting in levels outside of the normal ROS range) and varied among mothers depending on offspring sex (significant interaction between maternal identity and offspring sex). In offspring, there were depressive effects on ROS of size-controlled relative clutch size, which relies directly on circulating levels of vitellogenin, a confirmed antioxidant in some species. Thus, levels of reactive oxygen species varies among females, offspring and in relation to reproductive investment in a manner that makes its regulatory processes likely targets of selection.     

The legacy of past manuring practices on soil contamination in remote rural areas

This paper demonstrates that there can be a legacy of contamination on former arable land in remote rural areas as a result of past manuring practices. In the first part of the study four farms abandoned in the late 19th to mid-20th century were investigated with samples collected from residual material in domestic hearths, the midden heaps, kailyards (walled garden for vegetables), infields (intensively managed arable land) and outfields (less intensively managed land for cropping or grazing). Consistent sequences in concentration values were found for such elements as Pb, Zn, Cu and P in the order hearth>midden>kailyard>infield>outfield. Such patterns can in part be explained in terms of atmospheric deposition on peat and turf which were subsequently burnt in hearths to result in enhanced elemental concentrations. The ash then was deposited in midden heaps and subsequently on kailyards or infields. In the second part, microanalytical results from St. Kilda are discussed. Enhanced loadings of Pb and Zn were found in the old arable land. The highest levels of Zn were found in small fragments of carbonised and humified material and bone fragments; in contrast Pb tended to be more uniformly distributed. Seabird waste was extensively applied to the arable land and some of the Zn may have accumulated in the soil by this pathway. The retention of Zn in bone is likely to have been very minor given the rarity of bone fragments as evident in thin sections (0.3%); this compares with 6.8% for black carbonised particles which are likely to provide the main storage sites for Zn.     

Effects of human footprint and biophysical factors on the body-size structure of fished marine species

Marine fisheries in coastal ecosystems in many areas of the world have historically removed large-bodied individuals, potentially impairing ecosystem functioning and the long-term sustainability of fish populations. Reporting on size-based indicators that link to food-web structure can contribute to ecosystem-based management, but the application of these indicators over large (cross-ecosystem) geographical scales has been limited to either fisheries-dependent catch data or diver-based methods restricted to shallow waters (<20 m) that can misrepresent the abundance of large-bodied fished species. We obtained data on the body-size structure of 82 recreationally or commercially targeted marine demersal teleosts from 2904 deployments of baited remote underwater stereo-video (stereo-BRUV). Sampling was at up to 50 m depth and covered approximately 10,000 km of the continental shelf of Australia. Seascape relief, water depth, and human gravity (i.e., a proxy of human impacts) were the strongest predictors of the probability of occurrence of large fishes and the abundance of fishes above the minimum legal size of capture. No-take marine reserves had a positive effect on the abundance of fishes above legal size, although the effect varied across species groups. In contrast, sublegal fishes were best predicted by gradients in sea surface temperature (mean and variance). In areas of low human impact, large fishes were about three times more likely to be encountered and fishes of legal size were approximately five times more abundant. For conspicuous species groups with contrasting habitat, environmental, and biogeographic affinities, abundance of legal-size fishes typically declined as human impact increased. Our large-scale quantitative analyses highlight the combined importance of seascape complexity, regions with low human footprint, and no-take marine reserves in protecting large-bodied fishes across a broad range of species and ecosystem configurations.