creating environmental improvements through biodiversity

authorities, NGOs, local organisations).
Impacts (Potential):
The report could provide a baseline of expectation against which minerals companies, EN and other partners
could assess their actions and contributions to biodiversity on minerals sites.
Potential Expansion:
The report was to form the basis for preparation of a practical manual for the industry, English Nature staff,
local authorities and local communities
Being an early publication on the issue of minerals extraction in relation to biodiversity, it is likely to need
updating at some point
Dissemination:
Information on dissemination of this report could not be obtained.
COST EFFECTIVE MULTI-PURPOSE HYDROGEOLOGICAL (OR WATER
ENVIRONMENT) MONITORING FOR AGGREGATE QUARRIES (MIRO MIST
CAPITA SYMONDS)
– Project Proposal MA/6/1/001
Sustainable Aggregates Creating Environmental Improvements through Biodiversity
Project Type: Desk-based review, case studies, recommendations
Site: Limited site visits
Project Aim: To examine the merit of adopting a unified protocol for hydrological and hydrogeological
monitoring, at least for sand and gravel sites, that would enable water quality to be monitored for ecological
and archaeological conservation simultaneously
Main Methods:
Desk-based review of relevant previous research (published and unpublished), and policy requirements of
DCLG, Environment Agency etc.
Case study interviews and some limited site visits, to find out:
• Which parameters have been monitored for different purposes
• Usefulness of these findings
• Extent to which different requirements were (or could have been) combined
• Lessons that could be learned for future specification of monitoring requirements at similar sites
Optional fieldwork to trial multi-purpose field monitoring
Bringing this work together to develop recommendations, with particular attention on working adjacent to
lowland fens, peat bogs and floodplains, as archaeological and ecological conservation objectives often share
monitoring requirements here, although may require different water quality conditions
Output:
Concise peer-reviewed report containing recommendations on water quality monitoring for ecological and
archaeological considerations (stating benefits or otherwise of a joint approach)
Impacts (Potential):
An integrated approach may potentially minimise the regulatory burden associated with hydrological
and hydrogeological monitoring. Such an approach might represent an improvement for biodiversity in
further standardising water quality monitoring – but may run the risk of over-simplifying procedures
to accommodate different interests. Hopefully the project would itself highlight this drawback if it was
encountered.
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