Description

Establishing the European Centre of INI

As one of the regional centres of INI, the European Centre was established on January 1 2004 based at the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN). In early 2007, the secretariat moved to the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH), Edinburgh with the new chairman of the Centre, Mark Sutton.

Mission
The mission of the European Centre is to develop knowledge, technologies and solutions for the optimum use and production of nitrogen in Europe.

Objectives

The objectives of the Centre are:
  • to assess knowledge on nitrogen flows and the nitrogen cascade at different scales in Europe
  • to assess past and present measures to combat nitrogen pollution and to optimise its use
  • to develop and implement (cost)effective measures to optimise nitrogen use and minimise environmental effects
  • to evaluate and monitor the progress of the measures and environmental improvements.

This will be achieved through a three-phased approach:

  • Phase I - Assessing knowledge on N flows and problems
  • Phase II - Developing region-specific solutions.
  • Phase III - Implementing scientific, engineering and policy tools to solve problems.

Phase I will be organized around crosscutting themes; initial themes are natural processes (e.g., biological nitrogen fixation, denitrification), agriculture, fertilizers, animal production, human waste, energy production/use. The regional assessments will be integrated to create an overall global assessment. In Phase II, region-specific solutions towards problems identified in Phase I will be proposed. Phase III activities will be primarily directed towards working with key groups to implement identified solutions.

Products and Activities
One of the first tasks of the Centre is to assess the knowledge of N-flows and problems in Europe, which will be a part of the overall assessment of N flows and problems in the different regions of the world. A fundamental component of this task is the assessment of the alteration of the N cycle due to human action and the resulting consequences, both positive and negative. This assessment sets the stage for future programs, which are focused on identifying and implementing solutions to address the impacts of N in the environment.

In October 2004 the Nanjing Declaration was signed and received by UNEP. The Declaration was a core product of the Centre and addresses the recognition of nitrogen issues and the need for policies to manage nitrogen. In May 2005 the COST Action 729 (www.cost729.org) started, assessing and managing nitrogen fluxes in the atmosphere-biosphere system in Europe. The Centre launched a European Science Foundation proposal on Nitrogen in Europe “Assessment of current problems and future solutions”. Finally, the Centre takes part in the steering committee of the Integrated 6th Framework Programme: NitroEurope (www.neu.ceh.ac.uk).

More Information & Adoption of Research Projects as “Associated Activities of the European Centre of INI”

More information on the work of the European Centre of the International Nitrogen Initiative can be found in our leaflet, which also encourages scientists to submit their research projects for adoption by the European Centre of the INI, using an adoption form.