Using the Strategy

 

JNCC is documenting the ways in which the Strategy can be used to examine the balance between surveillance needs and coverage to support the effective implementation of biodiversity policy.  This documentation provides feedback on the Strategy, and is used to further develop the Strategy as a useful set of decision tools.

 

Analysing policy and reporting needs

 

Chemical pollution is a policy area that is among the most advanced in our understanding of which surveillance schemes can help provide evidence, and how that evidence should be used in formulating advice.  A paper describing a framework for risk assessment of chemicals was produced as a December 2007 JNCC Committee paper.  The framework is still at an outline stage, but sufficient detail is presented to indicate the linkage with surveillance.  In particular, Sections 2.7 - 2.10 describe the linkage between surveillance, other evidence and advice; whilst Section 5 explicitly addresses monitoring requirements to support the framework. 

 

A paper on Supporting UK BAP Species and Habitat Reporting (see below) was produced for the November 2007 meeting of the Biodiversity Reporting and Information Group.  It demonstrates how a particular reporting obligation can be analysed against the information in the Terrestrial Biodiversity Surveillance Strategy Database.  It also includes an analysis of cost.  The paper may be updated in the future to reflect the way in which the UK BAP process has evolved since it was written, and also to provide more information regarding how to incorporate an assessment of risk into the timescale for reporting.  The paper works from an assumption that all priority species and habitats will require information from surveillance to assess their status, and some of these information needs are already met.

 

Both of these analyses of policy areas have been used to update the Surveillance Framework.

 

Reviewing taxonomic groups – filling gaps and evaluating coverage

 

Plant and vegetation surveillance was identified as an information gap in the Surveillance Strategy.  JNCC hosted a workshop of species and habitat specialists to clarify the nature of the gap and to assess means to fill it.  Gap filling can be complex, since most schemes will help to fulfil multiple objectives in the Framework, and most data uses will require information from multiple schemes.  The Vegetation Workshop Report (see below)identifies a number of tasks for taking forward the work on plant and vegetation surveillance.

 

The Mammal Surveillance Review (see below) used the three surveillance objectives to evaluate current mammal surveillance schemes, and to identify any high priority gaps in surveillance.  The review work helped to develop the three objectives at an early stage of the Strategy work, and the insights that resulted have been incorporated into the Surveillance Strategy (July 2008 version). 

 

Eventually, further papers that analyse the surveillance requirements of other policy areas and gaps in surveillance will be produced, and these will be used to update the Surveillance Framework.