The Extended IM programme

We are welcoming new and existing parties to join the extended ICP IM monitoring programme.

ICP Integrated Monitoring has decided to develop its monitoring strategy to include other ecosystem types than forests. The new ICP IM monitoring strategy aims at understanding the effects of air pollution on biodiversity in ecosystem types that are underrepresented in the Air Convention.  The new monitoring strategy has also been simplified with different levels of monitoring intensity.

The extended monitoring strategy aims at monitoring current and future effects of air pollution on ecosystems across the UNECE area. The extended ICP IM monitoring programme is developed to facilitate multiple purposes of ecosystem reporting such as the EU – NECD and habitat directive.

The extended monitoring program has been developed with three levels of monitoring in ecosystem types other than forests such as grasslands, heathlands, wetlands, or coastal habitats:

• Level 3: Full ICP IM site (monthly measurements, catchment as stated in the ICP IM Manual)
• Level 2: Plot scale with element budgets on other ecosystem types (monthly measurements)
• Level 1: Plot scale without element budgets (aiming for annual measurements, but accepting other temporal resolution) of soil and vegetation (plant list and abundance, soil and foliage chemistry)

The extended ICP IM monitoring programme will ensure that other ecosystems that are not part of the monitoring of the Air Convention today are monitored with proper methods that provide consistent monitoring within the UNECE area. The extended ICP IM monitoring programme is designed in a way that allows parties to be part of the ICP IM monitoring programme based on their own prerequisites with less intensive monitoring campaigns compared with the current ICP IM monitoring.

For further information please see the report ”An extended monitoring strategy for Integrated Monitoring under the Convention of Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution” found at Recent Reports.