Innovative Observation of the Environment: Bio-indicators and Bio-monitors: Definitions, Strategies and Applications

Already for a number of years “classical” programs for environmental monitoring are being supplemented by bio-indication measures. Here, investigations on living organisms or their remains (e.g. peat) are used to indicate the environmental situation in either qualitative (bio-indication) or quantitative (bio-monitoring) terms. This provides pieces of information on environmental burdens of a region at a given point of time or on its changes with time (trend analysis). Classical bio-indication often deals with observation and measurements of chemical compound (both inorganic and organic ones) in well-defined bio-indicator plants or animals (including man). In terms of analytical procedures and results there are parallel developments between progresses in bio-indication and innovation in analytical methods. After some 30 years of development in bio-indication there are now following lines of further development: 1) more frequent inclusion of multi-element total analyses for a thorough investigation of mutual correlations in the sense of the Biological System of Elements, 2) more work on (analytical) speciation issues to proceed into real effect-oriented environmental sciences, and 3) there should and must be a focus on integrative bio-indication methods because for a large number of environmental monitoring problems a single bio-indicator will not provide any meaningful information: a single bio-indicator is about as good as none at all. Integrative concepts such as the Multi-Marked Bio-indication Concept (MMBC) provide basic means to get into precautionary environmental protection effects drawing upon such a second-generation bio-indication methodology. A selected bio-monitoring case study of Switzerland illustrates the new methodologies.