1.3-b) Environmental assessment and monitoring Flashcards

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1
Q
  • What is environmental monitoring?
A
  • Environmental monitoring:
    ➞ describes the processes and activities that need to take place in order to characterise and assess the quality of an environment over time.
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2
Q
  • What are the specific reasons for carrying out environmental monitoring?
A

Environmental monitoring monitors abiotic factors and species to:
1. Detect changes in population size and health
2. Allow for planning of conservation and management strategies
3. Detect the impact of human activities
4. Assess the effectiveness of intervention methods

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3
Q
  • What is an EIA?
A
  • An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA):
    ➞ ensures the local planning authority has full knowledge of:
    1. Any possible environmental effects of a proposed development
    2. How to minimise these
  • This is taken into account in the decision-making process.
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4
Q
  • What is an SEA?
A
  • A Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA):
    ➞ is mandatory for plans that relate to large-scale changes in land use:
    1. In Scotland, public bodies and private companies, such as utility companies, are required to monitor the environmental impact of their plans, programmes and strategies.
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5
Q
  • What is the difference between EIA and SEA?
A
  • An EIA is an environmental assessment for an individual project.
  • An SEA is an environmental assessment for large-scale public or government-led plans.
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6
Q
  • What are the roles of environmental agencies?
A
  1. Enforcing legislation 📝
  2. Advising government, local authority planners, land owners, land users and voluntary organisations 🏢
  3. Shaping national policies 📢
  4. Educating the public 🍎
  5. Researching and monitoring 🧪
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7
Q
  • What is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)?
A
  • Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSis):
    ➞ are areas of high conservation value in terms of their:
    1. Flora (plants) 🌿
    2. Fauna (animals) 🐸
    3. Geology (rocks) 🪨
    4. Geomorphology (landforms) ⛰️
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8
Q
  • What is the purpose of an SSSI?
A
  • An area is designated as an SSSI to protect it.
    ➞ This means owners must manage the site appropriately to conserve its special features.
  • There are over 1,400 SSSIs in Scotland, which cover 12% of the land and are controlled by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH).
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9
Q
  • What is an MPA?
A
  • Marine Protected Areas (MPAs):
    ➞ protect a wide range of habitats, species, geology and undersea landforms in Scottish waters.
  • Scotland’s network of MPAs consists of 244 sites which cover 37% of our seas.
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10
Q
  • What is a policy?
A
  • Policy:
    ➞ is a plan of action that focuses on a specific target.
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11
Q
  • What is a strategy?
A
  • Strategy:
    ➞ outlines the methods and principles needed to achieve the policy.
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12
Q
  • What is legislation?
A
  • Legislation:
    ➞ are laws made by governments that outline procedures or standards that people and organisations must follow.
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13
Q
  • What are initiatives?
A
  • Initiatives:
    ➞ are important acts or statements that are intended to solve a problem.
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14
Q
  • What is a hydrograph?
A
  • A hydrograph is a graph showing how a waterbody reacts after a period of rainfall.
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15
Q
  • What are hydrographs used for?
A

Hydrographs are used to:
1. Show how a waterbody is affected by a storm ⛈️
2. Understand discharge patterns in a drainage basin 💧
3. Predict flooding 🌊
4. Plan flood prevention measures ⚠️

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16
Q
  • What factors affect base flow?
A
  1. Geological conditions 🪨
  2. Land cover 🌄
  3. Precipitation 🌧️
  4. Temperature 🌡️
  5. Soil moisture and composition 🌱
  6. Slope 🏔️