Citation
Leal Filho, W. (2011), "Editorial", Management of Environmental Quality, Vol. 22 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/meq.2011.08322daa.001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2011, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Editorial
Article Type: Editorial From: Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, Volume 22, Issue 4
Welcome to another issue of MEQ. On this issue, readers will find a wide selection of papers dealing with matters related to environment quality and its management, as well as opportunity to obtain information about the latest events and news in the field.
On this editorial, I would like to comment on a new, UK-wide research programme examining the role played by biodiversity in the ecosystems provided by Britain’s landscapes. The six-year, £13 m Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability (BESS) programme is funded by the Natural Research Environment Council (NERC) and will work with teams of researchers from across the country with expertise in fields ranging from biodiversity and soil ecology, to water management, economics and satellite technology.
Central to the programme will be the involvement of groups with a stake in the future of Britain’s landscapes, including farmers, private industry and recreational users. The University’s Environment Department and the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) at York will play a key role in setting out the scope of the programme and monitoring the progress of research teams across the UK. They will work with environmental specialists from across the UK who will decide in the next few weeks which kinds of landscapes to investigate. These could include uplands such as the Pennines, Snowdonia or the Cairngorms, as well as lowland farming areas. Once the study landscapes are established, stakeholder community groups will be set up to ensure research addresses local as well as national needs and priorities. These will include government research agencies, conservation agencies, farmers, representatives of recreational users and utility companies. Academic institutions from across the UK will then be invited to bid to carry out the research.
We hope to be able to report and document some of this research at MEQ and hence inform our readers about biodiversity issues, a key component of environmental management.
Enjoy your reading!
Walter Leal FilhoEditor