Understanding the past Flashcards
1
Q
local framework
A
- assess problems
- identify appropriate indicators
- monitor
- identify and diagnose problems
- predict
- plan solutions
2
Q
how are ecosystems impacted
A
- habitat loss
- climate change
- invasive species
- nitrogen deposits
- chemical pollution
- over exploitation of natural populations
3
Q
economic growth
A
- incomes increasing
- higher income = higher consumption
- more extraction, higher production, more waste
BUT - improved technology
- fewer constriants
- greater awarness
- environmental Kuznets curve
4
Q
measuring environmental impact
A
- indicators of the state of the environment are now widely used
- various frameworks to classify indicators according to what they measure
DPSIR - friving force
- pressure
- state
- impact
- response
5
Q
current situation in the UK countryside
A
- stabilisation in some of the countrysides environmental problems in recent years
- however, some indicators still show worsening conditions (soil erosion & compaction)
6
Q
data sources: UK national monitoring programmes
A
General - environmental change network - countryside survey Specific - land use, (agricultural census) - conditions (water quality) - species groups (birds, butterflies, plants) - habitats
7
Q
UK Environmental Change Network (ECN)
A
- the UKs long-term, integrated environmental monitoring and research programme
- ECN gathers information about the pressures on and responses to environmental change in physical, chemical and biological systems
- it is supported by consortium of fourteen sponsoring organisations and 7 research organisations
8
Q
ECN objectives
A
- to establish and maintain a selected network of sites
- to provide for the integration and analysis of these data
- to distinguish short term fluctuations from long-term trends and predict future changes
- to provide, for research purposes, a grange of Representative sites with food instrumentation and reliable environmental information
9
Q
ENC strengths
A
- breadth of variables
- consistency
- security
- research focus
10
Q
ENC weaknesses
A
- sites selection
- low sample size
11
Q
country side survey
A
- provides scientifically reliable evidence about the stat or health of the UKs countryside today
- data collected in 2007, 1998, 1984 and 1978
- we can then identify change (& rate) in the countryside
- this evidence is used to help form policies that influence management of the countryside, both now and in the future
- 2 components: land cover map, field survey
12
Q
Countryside survey strengths
A
- breadth of variables
- diversity of approaches
- consistency
- randomness
13
Q
Countryside survey weaknesses
A
- frequency
- changes in method
- no data on causes
14
Q
land cover map
A
- The Land Cover Maps are digital datasets constructed mainly from images provided by satellites orbiting the Earth
- Data analysed to classify land cover and habitat types (e.g. crops, woodland, urban areas etc) occurring in the UK
- The classification process is carried out by ‘training’ a computer to recognize certain values in the satellite data and assign them to a Land Cover type, equivalent to one of the UK’s Broad Habitats
15
Q
Field survey
A
- Repeated survey of c. 600 random 1 x 1 km grid squares, repeated about every 8-10 years since 1978
Professional surveyors record: - Mapping Broad and Priority habitats, as well as linear and point features
- Recording vegetation plots of different types (29 per square on average)
- Collecting measurements and
samples from streams and ponds - Collecting soil samples
- Taking geo-referenced photographs
