An Objective Framework to Test the Quality of Candidate Indicators of Good Environmental Status

Queiros, AM, Strong, JA, Mazik, K, Carstensen, J, Bruun, JT, Somerfield, PJ, Bruhn, A, Ciavatta, S, Flo, E, Bizsel, N, Ozaydinli, M, Chuseve, R, Muxica, I, Nygard, H, Papadopoulou, N, Pantazi, M and Krause-Jensen, D 2016 An Objective Framework to Test the Quality of Candidate Indicators of Good Environmental Status [in special issue: Bridging the Gap Between Policy and Science in Assessing the Health Status of Marine Ecosystems] Frontiers in Marine Science, 3, 73. 15, pp. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2016.00073

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Abstract/Summary

Large efforts are on-going within the EU to prepare the Marine Strategy Framework Directive’s (MSFD) assessment of the environmental status of the European seas. This assessment will only be as good as the indicators chosen to monitor the eleven descriptors of good environmental status (GEnS). An objective and transparent framework to determine whether chosen indicators actually support the aims of this policy is, however, not yet in place. Such frameworks are needed to ensure that the limited resources available to this assessment optimize the likelihood of achieving GEnS within collaborating states. Here, we developed a hypothesis-based protocol to evaluate whether candidate indicators meet quality criteria explicit to the MSFD, which the assessment community aspires to. Eight quality criteria are distilled from existing initiatives, and a testing and scoring protocol for each of them is presented. We exemplify its application in three worked examples, covering indicators for three GEnS descriptors (1, 5 and 6), various habitat components (seaweeds, seagrasses, benthic macrofauna and plankton), and assessment regions (Danish, Lithuanian and UK waters). We argue that this framework provides a necessary, transparent and standardized structure to support the comparison of candidate indicators, and the decision-making process leading to indicator selection. Its application could help identify potential limitations in currently available candidate metrics and, in such cases, help focus the development of more adequate indicators. Use of such standardized approaches will facilitate the sharing of knowledge gained across the MSFD parties despite context-specificity across assessment regions, and support the evidence-based management of European seas.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Additional Keywords:	Ecosystems; European Union; Good Environmental Status; Indicator; Marine Strategy Framework Directive; Pressure; Water Framework Directive;
Subjects:	Aquaculture Atmospheric Sciences Biology Chemistry Conservation Data and Information Ecology and Environment Law Management Marine Sciences Oceanography Planning Policies Pollution Zoology
Divisions:	Plymouth Marine Laboratory > Science Areas > Marine Ecology and Biodiversity
Depositing User:	Dr Ana Queiros
Date made live:	26 May 2016 14:43
Last Modified:	25 Apr 2020 09:57
URI:	https://plymsea.ac.uk/id/eprint/7069

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