UNITED KINGDOM
UK/NERC/CEH-MW
The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) is one of the Centres and Surveys of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). It is the leading UK body for research, survey and monitoring in terrestrial and freshwater environments. CEH has nearly 500 scientific staff, and well-equipped laboratories and field facilities at nine sites throughout the UK. CEH Monks Wood carries out research into interactions between plants and animals and their physical environment. Our research aims to understand the processes that control biodiversity, in order to explain and predict how natural systems are influenced by human activities such as industry and agriculture. Examples of human disturbance include single incidents, such as a chemical spill, or (more commonly) a combination of several causes such as habitat disturbance, changing farming methods, water availability or climate change. The resulting impacts may affect plant or animal populations, their behavior, seasonality or geographical distribution. Monks Wood is a national centre for surveying and monitoring Britain?s countryside and wildlife, using both detailed field recording and remote sensing from aircraft or satellites. Records of changing land use and species occurrence form an enormously valuable long-term resource, and underpin our studies of biodiversity and environmental risk assessment. The results of our research are utilized by Government departments, the European Union, local government, industry, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and academia. Applications include the formulation and evaluation of environmental policy and risk assessment. The research underpins environmental protection measures, such as habitat restoration, pollution abatement and ecologically sustainable land use. Website: "http://www.ceh.ac.uk/aboutceh/monkswood.htm" [Summary provided by the Natural Environment Research Council, Center for Ecology and Hydrology.]