Memorandum submitted by the British Trust
for Ornithology
The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) is the
UK's leading independent ornithological research organisation
and provides impartial independent scientific information to government
and a range of commercial and non-government organisations. We
use evidence-based knowledge to inform government about the impacts
of environmental and land-use change on biodiversity.
The BTO has worked closely with Defra, particularly
with respect to understanding bird populations declines (including
the PSA farmland bird target) and the impacts of agricultural
practices, climate change and avian influenza, and welcomes the
opportunity to suggest areas that EFRA Committee might want to
consider as part of its inquiry into Defra's science capability.
Here we suggest two key areas.
(a) Defra's funding strategy for the maintenance
of important nationwide long-term monitoring and surveillance
of the natural enviroment; and
(b) the process by which it is possible to contribute
urgently needed scientific advice to Defra.
(a) Funding of long-term monitoring and
surveillance. Many of the key issues facing the sustainable use
of the environment are being affected by large-scale, long-term
changes due to population growth, climate change and associated
socio-economic factors. The analyses of a number of key long-term
monitoring programmes has proved of pivotal importance in understanding
the impact of such changes and in distinguishing them from short-term,
random fluctuations (or noise). There have been a number of initiatives
to collate information on these datasets and organisations such
as the Ecological Continuity Trust has been set up to promote
the value of and support for such datasets. This is an area of
utmost importance to Defra, especially within the context of the
Living With Environmental Change Programme, and it would be important
to explore how Defra plans to identify key environmental monitoring
and surveillance programmes, to assess the security with which
such data are collated, maintained and made available, and, most
importantly, to ensure funding security for key programmes should
existing funding streams cease.
(b) Rapid advice delivery. In cases of urgent
national environmental emergency, Defra often needs the extremely
rapid provision of advice from a range of experts. Examples include
the recent cases of Avian Influenza where, at Defra's request,
ornithological experts from the BTO undertook surveys and analyses
of existing data within hours of an outbreak being confirmed.
As Defra requires extremely rapid emergency advice provision to
inform its response, a review of how Defra can ensure that such
foreseeable advice is readily available is important. The current
system in place for Avian Influenza works well, but places extreme
pressure on the resources of the organsations Defra works with,
and at short notice. A more planned approach to the provision
of such advice would benefit Defra and would secure the provision
of this advice in the long-term.
March 2008
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