Effects of air pollution on natural vegetation and crops

Report by the Programme Coordinating Centre of the International Cooperative Programme on Effects of Air Pollution on Natural Vegetation and Crops. The present report is being submitted for consideration by the second joint session of the Steering Body to the Cooperative Programme for Monitoring and Evaluation of the Long-range Transmission of Air Pollutants in Europe and the Working Group on Effects in accordance with the request of the Executive Body for the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution in the 2016–2017 workplan for the implementation of the Convention (ECE/EB.AIR/133/Add.1, items 1.1.1.1, 1.1.1.5, 1.1.1.7, 1.1.1.11 and 1.1.1.12) and the informal document approved by the Executive Body for the Convention at its thirty-fourth session, “Basic and multi-year activities in the 2016–2017 period” (items 1.1.1–1.1.3, 1.1.6, 1.1.7 and 1.8.1–1.8.3). The report of the International Cooperative Programme on Effects of Air Pollution on Natural Vegetation and Crops presents the results of an evaluation of effects of air pollutants on (semi-)natural vegetation and crops, further development of flux-based risk assessment methods, global application of the flux-based approach for impacts of ground-level ozone on crops, and progress with the European moss survey 2015/2016 on heavy metals, nitrogen and persistent organic pollutants. The report also presents the results of the twenty-ninth meeting of the Programme Task Force held in Dubna, Russian Federation from 29 February to 3 March 2016.