Two complementary consultations were conducted during the last months to identify research priorities: SRA consultation and IUR consultation.
To feed prioritization, the IUR questionnaire examines in particular the influence of the context within which radioecology evolution and goals are considered:
. Position of radioecology with respect to radioprotection science
. Position of radioecology with respect to environmental sciences
. Position of radioecology with respect to society (public and authorities)
Overview: 203 respondents throughout the world (170 initial respondents and 33 STAR respondents) - 48 countries represented - Thanks to all contributors.
Conclusions with respect to priorities
- Environment protection against radiation must be set up in equal coherence with radiation protection for humans and other systems of environment protection
- Priority targets for radiation protection are: human individuals and ecosystems
- Least priority targets for radiation protection are: environmental media activity levels and individual organisms of animals and plants
- Priority scientific approaches are : ecological inferences (ecosystem-centred) and tracer studies/biogeochemical cycles
- Least priority scientific approaches are: pure toxicological inferences (from molecules up to individual organisms) and widening to larger biodiversity
- Most important input to society is to improve understanding of processes (transfers, effects, interactions)
- Other inputs to society are judged less important: regulation and assessment tools, predictions for environmental impact assessment, in situ observations
General conclusions
- A large majority of radioecologists foresees an evolution of radioecology towards more ecocentrism and ecology than before
- In the mean time, radioecologists do not forget about their historical role of contributing to provide all environmental elements necessary to feed human radiation protection
- Identified priorities arise from a simple priorization method based upon a limited set of questions voluntarily provocative (but pertinent). To be seen as one possible contribution.
- To be noted: questions with respect to radioecology inputs to society provide here the responses form the radioecology communiity, not from society itself…