Prior to authorization, the side-effects of pesticides on the environment must be evaluated. The Ecotoxicology group at ACW assesses by means of models the potential risks of pesticide uses to plants and animals, including birds. Since a model can never incorporate the whole complexity of reality, uncertainty remains. With the help of passive or active monitoring after authorization, additional information can be gathered about safety or danger of a pesticide to birds. Even if monitoring studies have their limits, they are an important complement to the risk assessment based on models. They help to understand the risks of pesticides for birds, to identify unexpected problems and to define measures for risk mitigation.
