Economic evaluation procedure of the retention of stable toxic pollutants in fluvial systems - PECOTOX

Beyond the option of using methods that aim to remediate areas contaminated with stable toxic pollutants, a key role in the control of this type of pollution is played by the management of anthropogenic ecosystems that function as a source of pollution in watersheds, as well as that of natural and semi-natural ecosystems that function as a buffer between the source and receiver systems.

• Our priorities

  3.3.1 Biological, geological and ecological diversity at local, regional and national level (characterization, identification of command and pressure factors, identification of the functions of the components of biological, geological and ecological diversity, social and economic evaluation)

  3.1.3 Economic and social mechanisms to prevent and combat pollution on the main environmental factors

  3.3.5 Creation of georeferenced databases and meta-data, mathematical models and the decision-making cycle infrastructure, intended for the conservation, reconstruction and sustainable use of the components of biological and ecological diversity.

• Our mission

  The project proposes an objective with regional relevance, with results directly applicable for the management of hydrographic basins, an objective with relevance at the local complex level, whose results are directly usable for the management of wetlands in the structure of the river system. The third objective uses the expert knowledge obtained in the first two objectives to quantify the positive and negative economic effects of the retention of stable toxic pollutants in buffer systems in the structure of the river system.

• Objectives

  1. Evaluation and mathematical modeling of the regional stocks and flows of stable toxic pollutants in the contaminated hydrographic basins.

  2. Mathematical modeling of the retention and economic effects of toxic pollutants in key ecosystem complexes of the fluvial system.

  3. Consultation of end users, development and experimentation of the procedure to assist decisions regarding the management of stable toxic pollutants in fluvial systems. The objectives will be achieved through a modern interdisciplinary research implemented by a consortium of six institutions with a tradition in the field, including an institute of applied mathematics that will allow the large-scale use of mathematical modeling in solving the problems addressed in the project.

  The national, regional and local end users of the expert system produced in the project are explicitly consulted within its development activities.