Stand-scale palynology is the study of pollen that is preserved close to its source vegetation. It generates Holocene vegetation reconstructions of high spatial resolution that provide insight into ecological processes such as disturbance, invasions, and succession. Stand-scale palynology acts as a link between Quaternary science, plant ecology, and conservation biology. Stand-scale sites and soil palynology have also contributed to archaeology. Suites of stand-scale sites have been studied in North America and Scandinavia. These studies revealed the origins and development of vegetation patterns, the details of stand invasion by Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock), Fagus sylvatica (European beech), and Picea abies (Norway spruce), and the changing nature of disturbance factors such as fires, windstorms, and grazing animals. Many North European forests were far more diverse at the stand scale during the mid-Holocene than today, which has consequences for current conservation management. Stand-scale sites provide an important background to long-term ecological research.

The past 20 years has seen a rapid growth across the world in the number, range and scale of voluntary travel behaviour change (VTBC) initiatives. These so-called ‘soft’ measures have challenged the assumption that modal shift is only possible through ‘hard’ system-based measures, or through regulation. Among the most high-profile VTBC initiatives is a household-based behaviour change technique known as Individualised Travel Marketing. This dialogue marketing approach was developed by Socialdata (under the brand name IndiMark®) in response to its own research suggesting that a lack of information and motivation, and incorrect perceptions of the alternatives to the car, were significant barriers to modal shift. IndiMark has been applied in more than 100 pilot and nearly 150 large-scale projects, targeting a total of more than three million people on three continents. A key factor in this widespread take up has been the consistent use of a detailed evaluation design, employing travel behaviour surveys before and after the IndiMark intervention, using Socialdata's KONTIV® survey method. This well-established design uses a self-administered, mail-back questionnaire, coupled with motivation by post and telephone to encourage high response rates (typically between 60% and 80%) helping to provide reliable data on mobility behaviour. This paper reviews the development of the IndiMark technique and the key features of its evaluation using the KONTIV® survey method. It draws on this experience to address key challenges in the evaluation of VTBC initiatives, and to identify the common threads of an integrated approach which might strengthen the case for all soft measures.

This paper provides a summary of published results to date from implementation of Individualised Marketing (IndiMark(r)) interventions around the world. A discussion is provided to explain the methodology and the evaluation process. This paper then presents evidence and logic that refutes allegations raised by Professor Peter Stopher of the University of Sydney at a public forum in England in June 2003 and repeated in his ATRF 2003 paper. Similar responses were previously provided to Stopher after the June 2003 Forum, but the arguments presented in his ATRF paper are essentially unchanged. The paper concludes that the reduction in car as driver trips for all IndiMark(r) programs is within a range of 6 percent to 14 percent across target populations (broadly 5.5-13 percent allowing for non-contactable and non-responding households), demonstrating that IndiMark(r) is robust and broadly applicable for urban areas. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E210413.

The Sustainable Travel Demonstration Town Programme (STT) was launched by the Department for Transport in 2004 to demonstrate the role of 'soft measures' (or 'smarter choices') in promoting sustainable travel modes - principally walking, cycling and public transport, but also car- sharing. Three English cities (Darlington, Peterborough and Worcester) were each awarded a special grant of around €5 million to develop five- year programmes focusing on school and workplace travel plans, awareness campaigns and Individualised Travel Marketing (ITM). At the outset, Sustrans and Socialdata were commissioned to undertake a programme of travel behaviour research in each of the three STTs to provide a baseline for subsequent monitoring, assist in programme planning and help raise local awareness of the potential for behaviour change.