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Asia Monitor
UNU e-Newsletter Issue 20. March 2007 Adequate environmental monitoring in achieving sustainable development Fukuya Iino There are many types of environmental monitoring activities such as
permanent monitoring stations, real time monitoring, early warning, and
research-oriented temporary settings. Although the specifics of and environmental
monitoring design are dependent on a given project’s focus, all adequate
environmental monitoring designs need to consider the following key elements:
Providing policy makers with more, clearly presented, scientific
information, is one way the scientific community can better achieve their
objectives in the decision making process. In order to do so, not only do
decision makers need to increase their scientific literacy but also
scientists must conduct more user-oriented assessments prior to Statistical power is one of the most significant indicators to determine the adequacy of a monitoring design. A well-presented example can be found in the UNEP Chemical’s Guidance for a Global Monitoring Programme for Persistent Organic Pollutants. The Figures 3.1b illustrate data points with three-year intervals starting from 1972, 1973, and 1974, respectively. All figures seem to show different trends of the PCB concentration in young herring samples. The trick is that these figures were made by choosing data points with three-year intervals using the same data set shown in the next figure (Figure 3.1a). This indicates that the data should have been more frequently collected in order to more accurately detect the PCB trend in the target fish species. Proper sampling designs with good quality assurance scheme and quality control indicators are the key to gaining accurate information with limited resources. Statistical tools and methods should be fully employed in order to formulate cost-effective sampling plans. In reality, however, a small target data set is necessary to estimate statistical parameters critical for proper sampling designs. In cases where preliminary studies cannot be carried out, the monitoring design should allow for “trial-and-error” using the collected data during the initial phase in order to optimize the environmental monitoring activities. In parallel, some research-focused environmental monitoring should be encouraged to identify unknown and unforeseen risks, develop cost-efficient technologies, and maintain the monitoring technology and capacity levels. Without scientists allowed to monitor the Antarctica’s environment, the depletion of the ozone layers might not have been discovered until the obvious adverse effects were detected on the ground level. Adequate environmental monitoring which incorporates the above elements can both cost-efficiently collect necessary data for policy making, and assist in identifying us the best available design options. The question remaining is how we can incorporate the translated result of the environmental monitoring data into achieving sustainable development. Although the recovery of ozone layers is not yet visible, the examination of ozone depletions is very often referred to as one of the most successful cases of cooperation among scientists and policy makers. Defining adequate environmental monitoring design elements is one more way scientists and policy makers can move towards more successful sustainable development. . In the next issue, assessment criteria which are widely accepted to determine assessment boundaries will be briefly discussed.
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