Supplementary evidence from Professor
Pat Nuttall, Director, NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
SUBJECT
Questions arising from evidence presented to the
Committee Meeting of 12 December 2006 concerning Research Council
Institutes
1. Which areas of science will be lost to
CEH through restructuring?
1. Socioeconomic and community-based
research.
2. Terrestrial effects of nitrogen
in montane Britain.
3. Upland hydrochemical processes (re
prioritising to lowland research).
4. GMO (genetically modified organism)
risk assessment and biological control.
5. Freshwater microbiology and related
studies of basic patterns in diversity and cryptic speciation.
6. Biomedical facilities, pathogenicity
studies (wildlife diseases) and vaccine development.
7. Extension of the butterfly monitoring
scheme to other species groups.
In addition to the science activities that will
be stopped (listed above), the following areas will be reduced:
8. Freshwater ecology (loss of facilities,
cost-effectiveness)
9. Prediction of climate change impacts
on UK river flows, lake ecology and land cover.
10. Genomics, soil microbiology and molecular
biology capability.
11. Instrument development and engineering
facilities.
12. Long-term catchment monitoring.
13. Chemical effects programme (ozone, pesticides,
radionuclides).
14. Analytical facilities (consolidation).
15. Upland habitat management (consolidation).
2. Do you agree with NERC that the CEH restructuring
process will not lead to a loss of science within the UK as a
whole? Can you identify any gaps which will not be filled?
It is likely that the CEH restructuring process
will acerbate the loss to the UK of science expertise in freshwater
ecology. NERC is aware of this situation.
In 2005, the Freshwater Biological Association
and CEH undertook a review of freshwater ecology in the UK [web
link]. The review concluded that, until the 1970s, the UK was
at the forefront of research in freshwater ecology and limnology
(lakes and ponds). Since that time there has been a decline to
the extent that there is now real concern that the UK's scientific
infrastructure can no longer provide the freshwater research needed
to help meet the legislative and policy drivers on water quality,
flood risk management, biodiversity, and climate change impacts.
A particular challenge is the EU Water Framework Directive, which
stipulates that "good ecological status" of the UK's
rivers and lakes must be achieved.
January 2007
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