Ecology of Industrial Pollution
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Lesley C Batty and Kevin B Hallberg.(eds). 2010. Ecology of Industrial Pollution. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978 0 521 73038 9.
Some of my first forays into ecology were via the works of the late Tony Bradshaw, one of the pioneers of industrial ecology so it’s with a sense of both interest and nostalgia that I review this latest offering , one of the BESs ecological reviews.
A good starting point is to consider what the “industrial” part of the title refers to. Opening sentences make it clear that this is no simple condemnation of the “satanic mills” idea but one that goes back millennia and, should you so argue, include agriculture as well. From this point, the text has no set path but examines a wide range of ideas. One of the first to be explored is the impact pollutants can have on plants. It’s long been recognised that some plants can tolerate considerable levels of metal pollution – metallophytes and that these offer a way forward to stabilise waste. What is different in this contribution is that some metallophyte communities are now under attack from land improvement showing how far our ideas have come (or the rarity of good tolerant species!). Lichens have been a key study subject for years from the pioneering work in Ireland using school students to plot distributions onwards. The value here lies in the timescale where reports stretching back decades can be vital in examining longer-term trends. Up to now, metals have been the linking theme of chapters with a final one examining their impacts on streams. However, there are newer pollutants including PCBs etc. and these two require monitoring. This brings us the two contributions both studying the ways by which we can measure pollution levels accurately. At this point there is a subtle shift in contributions away from problems to looking at solutions. A chapter highlighting the use of diatoms to construct very long-term records (similar to pollen diagrams) demonstrates the need for a longer perspective and the subsequent one on risk that we need to study the problem with due regard.
Even if studies have looked at the distribution of species that can tolerate pollution, a major concern has always been how it can be modified, broken down or ultimately removed. Three chapters all focus on microbes as a key resource in this regard and with a range of contaminants – herbicides, nuclear waste and general site contamination. If remediation was only for modern sites then two chapters looking at the river Tame and Salford Quays shows how even historically-polluted sites can be improved. A interesting trip Downunder shows that even Australia’s vast landscapes need care (or perhaps because they are vast they need this care as industrial remediation is a huge issue currently in Australia). A final chapter argues for better links between ecology and industrial activity suggesting that both are needed for a sustainable future.
This text is aimed at those with a considerable amount of understanding of industrial pollution and ecology. Its value lies in its ability to bring together disparate areas to show how much they have in common and to herald that, contrary to popular thought, there is much good that is being done and more can be done in the future. The cases studies and copious references allow those to follow up their own interests.
