The key purpose of the Towards INMS Regional Demonstrations is to demonstrate how a cross-cutting approach that links different parts of the nitrogen cycle, including the benefits and threats, can deliver a stronger gravity for better management of these issues.
Global analysis has the advantage of linking the different key issues enabling quantification of how they fit together. By contrast, global analyses will necessarily lack important details relevant at the regional scale, for example about how practices differ, the priorities between key nitrogen issues, and the opportunities and barriers to change. Each of these can be expected to differ between regions.
INMS therefore includes a strong focus on regional demonstration where we map the developing ideas of INMS into different key world regions. This also provides a basis to start to interact at sub-regional and local levels which is important in developing stakeholder engagement.
In Towards INMS we aim to demonstrate how a cross cutting approach that joins up different parts of the nitrogen cycle, including the benefits and threats, can deliver a stronger gravity for better management of these issues. The regional work of Towards INMS is therefore primarily scientific demonstration – focused on evidence gathering. However, part of the nitrogen challenge involves understanding better what are the limitations to action and what are the key drivers for action. Therefore, the regional demonstration helps to provide more concrete information on how key world regions face a mix of similar and contrasting challenges. This is critical information that can then inform developing approaches at the global scale.
The regional demonstrations are categorised under 4 cases, for which a common challenge has been identified. This then allows the specific challenges for each region to be addressed. For information on each of the regions, please follow the links below.
Case 1: Regions with excess reactive nitrogen loss
- East Asia - China, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines
- South Asia - India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka
Case 2: Regions with insufficient reactive nitrogen
- Latin America - La Plata River catchment
- East Africa - Lake Victoria catchment
Case 3: Regions with transition economies
- East Europe - Dniester/Prut and Lower Danube to Black Sea
Case 4: Developed countries with excess reactive nitrogen loss
- European Atlantic Seaboard - France, Spain and Portugal