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(20-19) Exposure to pesticides of aquatic ecosystems in the UK agricultural landscape. Brown, Colin*,1, Hollis, John1, Biggs, Jeremy2, Arnold, Dave3, Maund, Steve4, 1 Cranfield University, Silsoe, Bedford2 Ponds Conservation Trust, Headington, Oxford3 Cambridge Environmental Assessments, Boxworth, Cambridge4 Syngenta, Bracknell ABSTRACT- Collaborative research is in progress to describe the biological, physico-chemical and morphological characteristics of freshwater ecosystems in the UK agricultural landscape. Information will be used to assist the future development of higher-tier risk assessment procedures for evaluating the impact of pesticides on non-target organisms. A digital dataset has been produced dividing the UK into ten landscape types based on land use, hydrology and topography. One of the subsequent phases of the work has been to identify the factors influencing the magnitude and duration of exposure to pesticides for the different ecosystems. The presentation will describe the landscape classification and work to: a) determine the patterns of pesticide usage for each agricultural land type; (b) describe the relationship between pesticide use and risk of exposure; (c) identify the main routes of exposure for each habitat; and (d) generate basic exposure profiles for example scenarios. The main output from the research as a whole will be a relational database providing information on the characteristics of aquatic habitats by ecosystem type and landscape class. A graphical user interface will be linked to the database to assist scenario selection/exploration and data overview. Key words: Exposure, Aquatic, Pesticide, Modelling |
