The Environment Agency is today publishing its first ever science strategy, putting science firmly at the heart of its work. The report sets out how the Environment Agency will plan, fund and carry out research over the next 10 years to ensure that its regulatory activities are firmly based on the best available scientific knowledge.
“This strategy represents an important milestone for the way we carry out science”, said Environment Agency Head of Science, Professor Mike Depledge. “We have gone through a significant culture change to reprioritise our research, look further ahead, and address major operational challenges, such as understanding how the environment affects human health, improving the way we manage water catchments and addressing the impacts of climate change.”
Examples of research reflecting the priorities of the strategy carried out by Environment Agency scientists include:
New health check for the environment: Urine samples from crabs and changes in snail sex hormones are just some of the tests being developed to assess environmental health by measuring the direct effects of pollution. These ‘biomarkers’ provide a practical way of giving the environment a proper health check – in human terms, it is the equivalent of counting the rise in numbers of people with asthma, rather than just measuring air quality – Professor Michael Depledge, Environment Agency Head of Science.
Assessing pollution from ionising radiation: Conservation legislation means we need better ways of showing how we protect wildlife from ionising radiation. We are working on developing a computer model to assess any future risks, by exploring the effects of radiation on amphibians and small mammals in the exclusion zone around Chernobyl, as well as soil organisms, marine seaweeds and freshwater algae from other parts of the world – Dr David Copplestone, Environment Agency ecosystems scientist.
Long-term perspectives on climate change: Long-term climate information is becoming increasingly important in helping us project future changes. For example, continuous records of rainfall in the Lake District over the last 200 years and reconstruction of monthly riverflows since the 1860s show that droughts during the 1800s were more extreme and widespread than recent dry spells. These data reflect natural variability as they pre-date the effects of enhanced greenhouse gases. This research has implications for our future, as climate models point to even higher temperatures and lower summer rainfall – Professor Rob Wilby, Environment Agency climate change science manager.
Cleaning up mine water pollution: Polluted waters from abandoned mines are one of the major sources of pollution that may result in failure to meet the objectives of the EU Water Framework Directive. Understanding the extent of this pollution and developing new passive technologies to treat polluted discharges without using extra chemicals or energy is one of the foci of one of the Environment Agency’s new research fellowships supported by the new science strategy – Dr Adam Jarvis, Environment Agency Research Fellow, University of Newcastle.
Prosecutions of illegal anglers reach annual high
More than 400 people were successfully prosecuted by the Environment Agency for rod fishing licence offences during November 2004 – the highest for this year. Fines for the month totalled £ 27,457, with costs of £ 25,455 awarded to the Environment Agency.
Almost a quarter of the successful prosecutions occurred in the North West, which saw 102 of the 417 successful cases. The month’s highest fine was £ 300, imposed on an angler at Southampton for three offences; fishing without a licence, fishing for freshwater fish in the close season and fishing by means other than using an artificial fly or lure during the freshwater fish close season. On average, each unlicensed fishing trip cost the angler £ 127.
Dafydd Evans, the Environment Agency’s Head of Fisheries said “It is good to see that the effort made by our enforcement and legal officers to catch and prosecute illegal anglers is paying off. This month’s increase in both successful prosecutions and fines should serve as a warning to anyone considering fishing without a licence.
“Rod licence fees are essential in improving and maintaining the standard of fisheries in England and Wales for all those who use them, which is why we have this programme of enforcement. Those who fish without a licence face tough penalties including fines of up to £ 2,500 and a ban from fishing.”
Buying a licence couldn’t be easier – there are around 15,000 Post Offices and other outlets which sell them direct; and for a small additional charge they can be purchased over the phone (0870 1662662) or from the agency web site – www.environment-agency.gov.uk/rodlicence.
