How to bridge the gap between nature conservation and environmental risk assessment of contaminated ecosystems

When evaluating the risks of contamination in nature reserves, two issues play a role: nature protection and chemical risk assessment. The approaches adopted under these two schemes are not necessarily aligned. We argue that there is a fundamental difference in how the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and agencies like the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) approach environmental assessments. The IUCN's Red List assessments focus on a species' survival potential, using population numbers, distribution areas, and broad threats without specifying these. It's a big-picture approach to identify species in need of conservation. On the other hand, EPA, EFSA and ECHA delve deeper into specific threats or hazards, specifically chemical pollutants. They assess how readily a chemical becomes available to organisms (bioavailability) and what its toxicity can be to individual species. These data are then used to predict the chemical's risk to a broader range of species through different approaches, e.g. species sensitivity distributions. In addition, arguments related to ecosystem functions, such as clean water and food production, may play a role. The current testing scheme is however, mainly focused on laboratory-cultured species and does not primarily consider specific ecological demands of red list species. We describe and analyse these two different systems, and develop a practical approach that combines their strengths. This could involve using IUCN Red List data to select species for further ecotoxicological assessment by EPA-like agencies. Integrating these results would underpin general conservation efforts and provide targeted protection for species with unique characteristics or high vulnerability to specific threats. This combined approach would move us closer to achieving the general protection of all species and the specific protection of those needing extra attention.</p

The Role of Views of Nature in Dutch Nature Conservation: The Case of the Creation of a Drift Sand Area in the Hoge Veluwe National Park.

Nature conservation requires choices about what sort of nature should be protected in what areas and includes value judgments on what nature is and/or should be. This paper studies the role of differing views of nature in nature conservation. A case study on the creation of a drift sand area in the Netherlands illustrates how nature conservation disputes can be understood as a conflict in views of nature.Nature conservation, views of nature, wilderness, pastoral idyll, drift sand, Hoge Veluwe

Heavy metal threats to plants and soil life in Southern Africa: Present knowledge and consequences for ecological risk assessment

In recent times there has been remarkable development in the field of soil ecotoxicology and risk assessment (RA) models. It is, however, debatable if these RA models are robust representatives for worldwide relevance. In order to investigate this, the current overview aims to address heavy metal threats to soil life in southern Africa by investigating present knowledge and consequences for RA using research in southern Africa as a case. To this end, the focus is on southern African soils, soil life and living conditions. To critically discuss these issues, we report on extensive research conducted in the southern African context and looked how comparable these findings are to RA models employed in the western world. This is done by providing an inventory of selected studies focused on the ecotoxicity of metals towards soil life. It is concluded that there is a dearth of information on southern African soil life, most of which are laboratory-based studies carried out by a handful of researchers. Future research incorporating the available information into a soil ecosystem assessment procedure is paramount. It is recommended that a starting point to tackle this might be the development of holistic sight-specific guidelines for ecological risk assessment at larger spatial scales (km2) which takes into cognizance landscapes, vegetation and faunal characteristics.</p