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1. Evidence-based policy requires researchers to provide the answers to ecological questions that are of interest to policy makers. To find out what those questions are in the UK, representatives from 28 organizations involved in policy, together with scientists from 10 academic institutions, were asked to generate a list of questions from their organizations. 2. During a 2-day workshop the initial list of 1003 questions generated from consulting at least 654 policy makers and academics was used as a basis for generating a short list of 100 questions of significant policy relevance. Short-listing was decided on the basis of the preferences of the representatives from the policy-led organizations. 3. The areas covered included most major issues of environmental concern in the UK, including agriculture, marine fisheries, climate change, ecosystem function and land management. 4. The most striking outcome was the preference for general questions rather than narrow ones. The reason is that policy is driven by broad issues rather than specific ones. In contrast, scientists are frequently best equipped to answer specific questions. This means that it may be necessary to extract the underpinning specific question before researchers can proceed. 5. Synthesis and applications. Greater communication between policy makers and scientists is required in order to ensure that applied ecologists are dealing with issues in a way that can feed into policy. It is particularly important that applied ecologists emphasize the generic value of their work wherever possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many civil and common law countries rely heavily on the use of civil and administrative penalties for environmental protection. The criminal law is generally reserved for serious cases where there is clear evidence of fault; i.e. moral blame worthiness. Although the United Kingdom has traditionally relied on criminal sanctions, civil and administrative penalties are increasingly used. This trend is likely to continue. The European Union, however, is currently giving serious consideration to the use of Europe-wide criminal penalties to ensure that European environmental legislation is implemented and enforced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landfill gas (LFG) is a flammable and potentially harmful mixture of methane, carbon dioxide and a large number of trace constituents produced when waste decays in landfill disposal sites. The need to prevent damage from landfill gas emissions has been recognised since the 1970s, and is now enshrined in landfill site regulations. Sophisticated gas control measures such as actively-pumped gas extraction wells and multilayered liners are now being implemented on a wide scale. The exploitation of LFG as a fuel or feed stock can complement the objectives of environmental protection and, at the same time, provide an additional revenue stream and reduce the use of fossil fuels. Exploitation of landfill gas in the UK began in the early 1980s, initially as a replacement fuel in kilns and boilers. There are now 13 such direct use projects saving the energy equivalent 50,000 tonnes of coal per year (January 1993). Use of LFG for power generation began in 1985. Government support for electricity from renewable sources has made power generation the dominant use for LFG in the UK. The UK currently has 42 power generation projects with a combined capacity of 72 MWe, saving the energy equivalent to 263,000 tonnes of coal per year (January 1993). This paper reviews current understanding of the processes of landfill gas formation and outlines the considerations required for its use as a fuel. The paper outlines the technology of gas collection and exploitation and assesses the economics of generating electricity from LFG in the UK, and the scope lot further development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents several environmental questions formulated by the British environmental policy makers as an exercise of role-reversing. These questions, labeled as "high policy relevance," are aimed to facilitate the process of whittling down the number of questions. Among the questions formulated are centered on the time it takes for the seabed to recover from disturbance such as dredging, wind-farm construction, and oil and gas extraction; the impacts of recreational activities on biodiversity; the effects of domestic cats on vertebrate populations in rural and urban environments; the consequences for biodiversity of changes in water quality and sedimentation in rivers; and on the reason why woodland birds declined.