Center for Ecology and Hydrology, Monks Wood, Natural Environment Research Council, UK

Data Center Description
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.


[Summary provided by the Natural Environment Research Council,
Center for Ecology and Hydrology.]