Northern Ireland Environmental Statistics Report, January

In January 2009 a new ‘Northern Ireland Environmental Statistics Report,’ was launched. This report follows on from ‘Our Environment, Our Heritage, Our Future: State of the Environment Report for Northern Ireland’ which was published by the Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) in April 2008 (On 1 July 2008 EHS became Northern Ireland Environment Agency). The report has been prepared by Central Statistics and Research Branch (CSRB), Department for Regional Development, with input from the Northern Ireland Environmental Agency (NIEA). The report is to be used as the first reference point for a range of environmental indicators and it provides annual updates on all indicators contained within. The report is of both public and academic interest and it provides a valuable resource across Government. There are 50 separate data sets contained within the report. These cover 8 topics: Demographics and Public Opinion, Air and Climate, Water, Marine, Land, Biodiversity, Built Heritage and Waste. Each data set consists of the most recently available data for each indicator and where applicable, performance against quantified targets. The report also gives some commentary on each data set and describes any trends that they illustrate. The report will be updated annually and each indicator reviewed for their usefulness and relevance. Additional indicators will also be considered for inclusion in future reports.