Ecological Footprinting
Reducing Cardiff's Ecological Footprint
Lead Researchers: Dr Andrea Collins and Dr Andrew Flynn
Background
Reducing Cardiff’s Ecological Footprint is part of a wider and more ambitious project that includes measuring the Ecological Footprint of Gwynedd in North Wales and Wales as a region.
The project has brought together over a period of two years (January 2003- January 2005) academics in Bangor and Cardiff Universities, staff in the two councils in which the universities are based (Gwynedd and Cardiff respectively), the voluntary sector (WWF Cymru who have co-ordinated the project), and Assembly Sponsored Public Bodies (Countryside Council for Wales, Environment Agency Wales and the Welsh Development Agency). Central to the project have been Stockholm Environment Institute York who have written the ‘Reducing Wales’ Ecological Footprint Report’ and provided the background data and calculations to undertake the Footprint analysis in Cardiff. This 2 year project has been funded by a £300,000 BiffAward, together with 10% matched funding from the Welsh Assembly Government, Cardiff Council and Gwynedd County Council
The types of questions that the footprint could help to answer within Cardiff are:
- What is Cardiff’s ecological footprint per capita, and what is the footprint made up of?
- What are the most significant areas of resource use within the City?
- Is the Council prioritising the right areas to reduce the City’s footprint?
- Are the Council’s current policies sufficient to move the City towards more sustainable consumption?
- How can the data derived from the footprint be used to inform policy, manage resources more sustainably and raise awareness of sustainable lifestyles?
To view the report, please click here
