New Model For Assessing The State Of The E...( It is going to become easier to asses...)

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
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Contact: Thomas Nilsson
Thomas.Nilsson@environ.se
46-8-698 1351
Swedish Environmental Protection Agency
20-Jan-1999