Yesterday marked the launch of Environmental  Evidence, the official journal of the Collaboration for Environmental Evidence (CEE), led by Editor-in-Chief Andrew Pullin.

Environmental Evidence will provide a visible and accessible platform for formal systematic review and evidence synthesis on environmental issues. The central purpose of this journal is to encourage scientists to fully engage in the development of  evidence-based environmental management by providing a publication outlet for systematic reviews and their associated  materials such as protocols and systematic maps. The journal will also welcome methodological papers providing guidance on  systematic reviews as well as commentaries and letters to the editor, in order to facilitate debate and discussion.

In his launch editorial, Professor Pullin outlines the function of the journal in seeking to use environmental data to address  impacts and improve management effectiveness; it aims to unite what is currently a fragmented literature on environmental  sciences. Professor Pullin goes on to discuss the close links between human wellbeing and environmental quality, and the  importance of managing the health of the environment in order to ensure that it remains suitable for human habitation.

The first articles to be published in Environmental Evidence highlight the broad application of systematic reviews in  environmental sciences, as well as the journal’s aim to provide sound methodologies on which to base these. Pearson et al. present a systematic review protocol surrounding the technologies used to mitigate arsenic groundwater contamination; Bowler  et al. use a systematic review to identify the benefits of wooded riparian zones on stream temperature in order to mitigate  climate change; Randall and James produce a systematic map covering areas of research related to changes in agricultural practices in Europe.

The ultimate goal of the journal (and the CEE) is to benefit the environmental science community through providing evidence  that will lead to more effective environmental management. It is therefore the Editor’s hope that the journal will answer the call  for a rigorous methodology of systematic review which can be used to inform decision making and policy.

For further information on Environmental Evidence, please visit the journal website or contact the journal editorial office.