It is going to become easier to assess whether or not we meet environmental goals. The Swedish EPA has developed assessment criteria for environmental quality, a model for interpreting the state of the environment.
Local and regional authorities collect a great deal of data on the state of the environment. Processing and interpreting this information is time consuming, especially since the data also has to be comparable.
"We hope that these new, simple and scientifically based environmental quality criteria, which we have developed together with local and regional authorities, will facilitate environmental work", says Thomas Nilsson, project co-ordinator at the Swedish EPA.
The model criteria will make it easier to compare the local state of the
environment in one area with other parts of the country. Eventually, they will
provide a uniform, nation-wide assessment of the state of the environment.
Environmental quality criteria have been developed for six areas: the forest
landscape, the agricultural landscape, groundwater, lakes and watercourses,
coasts and seas and contaminated sites. They are described in six reports
published by Swedish EPA. In the spring, the environmental quality criteria
will also be available on the Swedish EPA web site: http://www.environ.se
The assessment is in two parts: First, an appraisal is made of the state of the environment on a scale of 1 - 5. The best areas with no adverse effects on the environment and good conditions for biological diversity are classed as 1. Major adverse effects on the environment or our health, e.g. a seriously contaminated lake, are classed as 5. The second part is an appraisal of the extent to which the recorded state deviates from a 'comparative value'. The comparative value represents the 'natural' state, i.e. an environment not affected by humans.
The assessment includes both chemical and biological aspects. The models have been adapted for current regional and nation-wide environmental monitoring schemes and environmental goals. An assessment of the forest landscape, for example, includes criteria for the proportion of ancient forest, deciduous forest and dead wood, as well as the effects on the soil from various types of air pollution. The quality of the agricultural landscape is measured by looking at conditions for flora and fauna and the quality of soil and crops. Quality criteria for groundwater include resistance to acidification (alkalinity) and the level of pesticides and metals (e.g. cadmium). For coasts and seas, criteria include, among other things, the presence of phosphorous and nitrogen, and the levels of oxygen, metals and toxic organic pollutants.
Summaries of the reports are available in English.
Information: Thomas Nilsson, 46-8-698-1351, e-mail: Thomas.Nilsson@environ.se
Sif Johansson, 46-8-698-1536, Sif.Johansson@environ.se
Press Service: Anna Bonta-Anger, 46-8-698-10-84, Anna.Bonta-Anger@environ.se
Suzanne Kolare, 46-8-698-16-97, suzanne.kolare@environ.se
Swedish Environmental Protection Agency S-106 48 Stockholm, Phone 46-8-698-1000,
Fax 46-8-698-14-80. Internet Mail natur@environ.se
Homepage http://www.environ.se