Articles from Science for Environment Policy

Drainage tunnels provide safe road crossings for wildlife
Drainage tunnels running under roads can provide small animals with safe road crossings, mitigating habitat fragmentation, a new study has confirmed. The researchers suggest that the tunnel design can be further improved to aid animal movements, for example, by providing dry ledges to ensure the routes are still available in times of high rainfall.
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Do information campaigns about energy use really help to reduce consumption?
Informing consumers about their energy use and giving advice on how it can be improved can result in lower public energy consumption, new research suggests. However, if such information campaigns are based solely on monetary savings they are not effective, the study concludes.
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Offshore wind farm construction noise can displace harbour porpoises
Noise caused by construction of Germany´s first offshore wind farm caused significant habitat disturbance for harbour porpoises, according to a recent study. Its results suggest that porpoises avoided areas up to 20 kilometres from the noise source during construction of the wind farm´s foundations.
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Pesticides and pharmaceuticals influence riverbed communities of microbes
Changes in complex microbial communities known as `biofilms´ at the bottom of rivers can reveal the effects of pesticide and pharmaceutical pollution of river water, according to a recent study. Painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs were found to have a significant effect on the structure and functioning of the biofilms.
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Embedding community consultation in noise maps and action plans
Researchers in Greece have added a new dimension to noise level mapping by including data on residents´ perception and value of different sounds. This consideration of the experiences of residents in this way could lead to more effective policy implementation.
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