What is environmental monitoring?
The state of the environment and changes in it are documented through Sweden’s environmental monitoring programme. Sweden has a well-developed system for monitoring the state of its environment, and many of our observation series are the longest that exist in the world.
Environmental monitoring can be described as a programme of recurring, systematic studies that reveal the state of the environment. The specific aspects of the environment to be studied are determined by our environmental objectives, our environmental legislation, and Sweden’s reporting obligations under international directives and conventions. The environmental policies of the European Union in particular call for extensive international reporting.
The purpose of environmental monitoring is to show how well we are meeting our environmental objectives and to help detect new environmental issues. The results are also of fundamental importance to environmental management in general, as the drafting and prioritisation of environmental policies is based on the findings of environmental monitoring. The published results make it possible for anybody to take part in the political debate.
Many providers of environmental monitoring
The agents involved in environmental monitoring as providers or in other roles include national, regional and local authorities, universities, consultancies, research institutions, clubs and societies, and private individuals.
Some of the providers are also data hosts, meaning that they store, review, compile and make available environmental monitoring data.
Swedish EPA coordinates environmental monitoring
The monitoring programme needs to be properly coordinated to ensure that all aspects of the environment are covered. Coordination also increases participation and saves costs.
Environmental monitoring is coordinated by the Swedish EPA. The EPA runs a national environmental monitoring programme. It also has the coordinating responsibility for regional environmental monitoring, which is otherwise implemented by the County Administrative Boards.
One aspect of the coordination of Sweden’s environmental monitoring is the recommended standard methods (online handbook) to be used by providers.
Central and important forms of monitoring include self-inspection by facility operators, monitoring of receiving bodies (water and air), follow-up studies of the liming of soil and lakes, and various inventories of the natural environment.
The national environmental monitoring programme
The national environmental monitoring programme comprises the following ten areas:
- air
- mountains
- forests
- agricultural land
- landscapes
- wetlands
- fresh waters
- coasts and seas
- health-related environmental monitoring
- toxic substances coordination
Contact: Manuela Notter, manuela.notter(a)naturvardsverket.se
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The aim of environmental monitoring is to describe the state of the environment, to show how well our environmental objectives are being met, and to warn of new environmental issues.
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The environmental monitoring programme is determined by the Environmental Objectives Council and is revised at approximately five-yearly intervals.