PowerPointPrsentation

1
Integrated environmental monitoring Pilot project
in the German Biosphere Reserve Rhön Gabriele
Twistel (Federal Environmental Agency), Konstanze
Schönthaler (Bosch Partner, Munich), Benno Hain
(Federal Environmental Agency), 2002
Targets of integrated environmental
monitoring Integrated environmental monitoring
will increase the efficiency of the existing
environmental moni-toring programmes and
measurement networks by means of a better
coordination of the current monitoring activities
and integrating data inter-pretation. It is not
designed as a new monitoring programme
implementable area-wide but for imple-mentation
in selected priority areas. Even there, it does
not question current data collection and
measurement but includes them in the programme
conception. However, it is to be regarded before
the background that, not only the structure of
ecosystems but also their functions are to be
monitored, too. By means of integrated
environ-mental monitoring, changes of processes
and functions in ecosystems are to be early
diagnosed (early warning function).

• Priorities of the pilot project
• Development of a core data set as a set of
  parameters for which data are to be collected in
  the framework of integrated environmental
  monitoring, or to be provided from the existing
  measurement and monitoring pro-grammes for
  integrating interpretations
• Development of proposals for a harmonised
  collection of environmental data
• Development of a data interpretation concept
• Preparation of an exemplary environmental report

Cause-effect hypotheses were developed as a part
of the interpretation concept. They define the
problems to be dealt with by integrated
environmental monitoring, forming, at the same
time, the basic structure for reporting on
integrated environmental monitoring. The
cause-effect hypotheses are classified into 10
complexes by which essential environmental
problems are to be described (e.g. changes in
biodiversity and their consequences).
Pilot project By commission of the Federal
Environmental Agency (UBA) and the Bavarian State
Ministry for Regional Development and
Environmental Affairs a research and development
project was carried through between 1997 and 2001
which served the composition and exemplary
implementation of a concept for integrated
environmental monitoring. It was tested in the
Biosphere Reserve Rhön (Schönthaler, 2001).

• Extract from the core data set (flowing water)
• water temperature of the flowing water
• turbidity or depth of visibility of the flowing
  water
• suspended matter in the flowing water
• electric conductivity of the flowing water
• pH of the flowing water
• acid and base capacities of the flowing water
• oxygen content of the flowing water
• NO3-N in the water body of the flowing water
• NO2-N in the water body of the flowing water
• NH4-N in the water body of the flowing water
• Ntot in the water body of the flowing water
• Ptot in the water body of the flowing water
• drying loss in the flowing water sediment
• loss on ignition in the flowing water sediment
• ...

3-piece approach A method to derive a monitoring
programme in a reconstructible way using a
3-piece approach is developed and tested. The
approach is adequate to the problem
(problem-based approach), fulfils the task of
early warning (system-theoretical approach), and
considers its practicability (data-based
approach).
Environmental reporting on integrated
environmental monitoring is marked by the fact
that it considers environmental problems in the
cause-effect correlation.
Implementation of integrated environmental
monitoring in the federal laender Brandenburg
An integrated environmental monitoring system was
established in the Biosphere Reserves
Schorfheide-Chorin and Spreewald. Indicators,
parameters and methods were chosen with regard to
the conception developed for the Biosphere
Reserve Rhön. Schleswig-Holstein A concept for
an integrated environmental monitoring is
available. It is oriented according to the
example of the integrated environmental
monitoring system developed in the Rhön project.
Thus, e.g. the procedure of adapting the
cause-effect hypotheses for the required regional
supplementation of the core data set corresponds
to the method adopted for Rhön.
Baden-Württemberg Since 1999 an integrated
environmental monitoring system has been
established. The used regional classification and
parts of interpretation are similar to the Rhön
project. The developed concept is at present
implemented step by step. Bayern intends to
establish, in the long run, an integrated
environmental monitoring system in the Biosphere
Reserves Berchtesgaden and Rhön. In the national
park Berchtesgaden, among others, the
installation of the water balance/material flow
model Wasmod tested for Rhön is planned.

• Literature
• Schönthaler et al., 1997 Konzeption für eine
  ökosystemare Umweltbeobachtung -
  Wissenschaftlich-fachlicher Ansatz.
  UBA-Texte-Reihe 32/97, Berlin.
• Schönthaler et al., 2001 Modellhafte Umsetzung
  und Konkretisierung der Konzeption für eine
  ökosystemare Umweltbeobachtung am Beispiel des
  länderübergreifenden Biosphärenreservats Rhön
  FE-Vorhaben 296 91 076/01 im Auftrag des
  BayStMLU und des UBA, Schlussbericht,
  unpublished.
• BayStMLU, Umweltbundesamt (Hrsg.), 2001
  Broschüre Ökosystemare Umweltbeobachtung Vom
  Konzept zur Umsetzung.

Further information is available under the web
address of UBA (www.umweltbundesamt.de) or by
e-mail (gabriele.twistel_at_uba.de).