Targeted Research for Improving Understanding of the Global Nitrogen Cycle towards the Establishment of an International Nitrogen Management System INMS

To improve the understanding of the global/region N cycle and investigate / test practices and management policies at the regional, national and local levels with a view to reduce negative impacts of N on the ecosystems.

This project addresses a critical global problem of excess reactive nitrogen in the aquatic environment that has been long recognised by the GEF. This project is designed to better understand the global cycle
of reactive nitrogen and represents the first collaborative activity to deliver an International Nitrogen Management System (INMS) that will combine multiple sets of information from different sectors and
integrate reactive nitrogen across the environmental compartments. The project responds to recommendations made by the STAP (Hypoxia and Nutrient Reduction in the Coastal Zone, 2011) and reflects the concerns raised at the June 2013 GEF Council by Prof. Rockstom in his presentations on Planetary Boundaries. Recent publications (November 2013) by UNEP9 highlighting impacts of differing agricultural approaches
(specifically tilling) to the releases of N2O from fertilisers and manures, and by WMO10 on the contribution of reactive nitrogen on climate change emphasise the current interest and importance of the global nitrogen debate. Through this proposed project, the GEF is in a good position to both develop a better understanding of the regional and global nitrogen cycles and to assist in implementing a management system that would, through the GPA for example, work to combat the negative impacts of reactive nitrogen.

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