1,720,997 research outputs found
Beyond nitrogen critical loads – is there a role for the ‘Ecosystem Services’ approach?
No full textThis paper considers the extent to which indicators of critical load exceedance capture the potential
impacts of changes in nitrogen deposition on ecosystem services. It shows that there are significant
links between nitrogen deposition and a large range of ecosystem services. There is potential for
indicators to be adapted to provide more specific qualitative information for Natura 2000 sites of
the implications of critical load exceedance for ecosystem services.
For the provision of ecosystems goods (e.g. food, fuel, fibre) and water quality and erosion
regulation, it is likely that quite specific information can be provided on the effects of nitrogen
deposition. For others, such as pollination and cultural services, the implications for ecosystem
services are likely to depend on the specific changes in species composition that are found in
specific habitats and sites. The issue of climate regulation has been identified as a critical ecosystem
service, but this effect is not currently considered explicitly in setting critical loads, and given the
complexity of the potential effects of nitrogen deposition on different greenhouse gas fluxes, it
seems impractical to include this in any simple assessment of effects of critical load exceedance.
There are ecosystem services where exceedance of the established empirical critical load for
nitrogen input can be a positive outcome, for example, increases in more nitrophilous species
increasing productivity in certain grassland types and increased grass growth stabilising coastal
dunes, and hence enhancing erosion regulation. An ecosystems approach would therefore have
value in informing the prioritization of conservation management practices in areas with high
nitrogen deposition, depending on the ecosystem service that is most valued at any particular site.
However, given that the cause and effect relationships underlying important ecosystem services are
often complex and not sufficiently understood, more data and research is needed to provide specific
guidance on potential conservation priorities
Current and future policy options for tackling nitrogen deposition impacts on Natura 2000 sites (theme 5): Background document
No full textApproaches to assessing the impact of new plans and projects on Natura 2000 sites (theme 1): Background document
No full textThe Habitats Directive provides a high level of protection to the Natura 2000 network by taking a
precautionary approach to permitting “plans or projects” which may have a likely significant effect
on a site. Article 6.3 of the directive provides a mechanism by which plans and projects can only be
permitted if they are shown to have no adverse effect on a Natura 2000 site.
Emissions of nitrogen are considered to be a significant threat to sensitive habitats across Europe.
Many countries have adopted approaches to assessing these threats which include the use of critical
load thresholds, the appraisal of the conservation objectives, and the determination of site specific
conditions. These decisions include the need to understand and develop approaches for answering
questions such as: what is a likely significant effect on the site; what is a significant contribution of
a pollutant load to the site; and how to judge whether a project or plan will have an adverse effect
on the integrity of a Natura 2000 site?
This background paper looks at Article 6 of the Habitats Directive focussing in particular on Article
6.3. An introduction to the requirements of Article 6.3 is given, followed by a consideration of the
assessment of nitrogen deposition impacts in relation to these requirements. The paper compares
the assessment and decision-making approaches taken by a number of EU Member States
Quantifying the threat of atmospheric ammonia to UK Natura 2000 sites at 1 km resolution
No full textMoninea Bog - Case study of atmospheric ammonia impacts on a Special Area of Conservation
No full textMoninea Bog is a lowland raised bog in Northern Ireland, designated as a Special Area of
Conservation (SAC). The peatland flora typically supports many bog mosses, including the
rare Sphagnum pulchrum and all three sundew species native to the British Isles. Farming
activities take place around the bog, and questions were raised about the possible impact of
ammonia emissions from a poultry farm directly to the north west. In response, following a
site visit in January 2007, atmospheric ammonia was measured across the site, combined with
measurements of nitrogen foliar bioindicators and the use of an atmospheric dispersion model.
Taking the field observations, atmospheric measurements, modelling and bioindicators together,
a clear picture emerged of a site under subsantial threat from atmospheric ammonia deposition.
The combination of source- and receptor-oriented indicators coupled with a strong gradient in
exposure 50-1000 m from the poultry farm provides for a robust approach to characterise these
effects. This case-study graphically illustrates the nature of ammonia damage, showing how a
short progamme of measurements and modelling can be used to support local decision making
Approaches to assessing the impact of new plans and projects on Natura 2000 sites (theme 1): Working group report
No full text
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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