|
(52-38) UK Conservation Policy and Ecotoxicological Risk Assessment: Conflict or Consensus? Evans, Jens*,1, Miller, Anne1, Wood, Graham2, 1 School of Biological and Molecular Sciences, Oxford, UK.2 School of Planning, Oxford, UK. ABSTRACT- The purpose of risk assessment is to inform risk-management decisions, so it is appropriate that an assessment considers the context within which the management decision is taken. In the case of ecotoxicological assessment of pollutants, this would include review of conservation regulations, policies and objectives for potentially affected ecological entities. Such a review has several benefits. Firstly, valued ecological components can be readily identified, reducing subjectivity in endpoint selection. Secondly, management objectives for valued ecological components can be used as a basis for determining risk significance. Thirdly, the spatial and temporal scope of the assessment can be established. Finally, consistency in ecological protection is promoted. The UK has separate legal and institutional systems for conservation and pollution control. A review of UK pollution risk assessment methods indicates that there is inconsistent and incomplete consideration of conservation policy. Most methods have a planning phase that identifies important conservation sites. However, few methods identify the ecological feature of conservation interest within such sites, or management objectives for that feature. Furthermore, there is a tendency for some conservation policies to be overlooked during the planning phase, and in particular those not associated with specific sites (such as biodiversity action plans). Such incomplete consideration of conservation context is likely to result in poorly informed management decisions, leading to disparity between the level of ecological protection that is afforded by UK conservation policy and current pollution controls. How are such potential conflicts resolved elsewhere in Europe? Key words: pollution, conservation, risk |
