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

Queirós, Ana M.; Strong, James Asa; Mazik, Krysia; Carstensen, Jacob; Bruun, John; Somerfield, Paul J.; Bruhn, Annette; Ciavatta, Stefano; Flo, Eva; Bizsel, Nihayet; Özaydinli, Murat; Chuševė, Romualda; Muxika, Iñigo; Nygård, Henrik; Papadopoulou, Nadia; Pantazi, Maria; Krause‐Jensen, Dorte

doi:10.3389/fmars.2016.00073

Cited by 41 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…The use of the catalogue could be strengthened in the future through further integration with additional quality criteria for indicator selection through a newly developed framework for testing of indicators in a standardized way (Queirós et al, 2016). As much as we filter the database and narrow our choices to indicators most promising within a given context (See example in Box 1), only a standardized approach based on quality analysis criteria, as proposed by Queirós et al (2016), would allow a proper evaluation, comparison, and final selection of indicators.…”

Section: Recommendations For Future Improvements Of the Cataloguementioning

confidence: 99%

“…As much as we filter the database and narrow our choices to indicators most promising within a given context (See example in Box 1), only a standardized approach based on quality analysis criteria, as proposed by Queirós et al (2016), would allow a proper evaluation, comparison, and final selection of indicators. One of the limitations mentioned before was the danger of redundancy of indicators approaches in the catalogue.…”

Section: Recommendations For Future Improvements Of the Cataloguementioning

confidence: 99%

“…One of the limitations mentioned before was the danger of redundancy of indicators approaches in the catalogue. However, indicators with a similar focus may differ greatly in other characteristics considered also relevant criteria for evaluating the quality of indicators (Queirós et al, 2016 for a recent review). For example, the acceptability or comprehensibility by the wider public, the complexity of its calculation, or its cost of implementation, may be determinant criteria at the time of selecting indicators.…”

Section: Recommendations For Future Improvements Of the Cataloguementioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, the acceptability or comprehensibility by the wider public, the complexity of its calculation, or its cost of implementation, may be determinant criteria at the time of selecting indicators. In this sense, the catalogue could benefit from additional or better baseline information on important criteria such as "responsiveness to pressure, " or the "possibility to set targets within the indicator response, " or "information on the cost-effectiveness of their implementation, " to name a few (ICES, 2013(ICES, , 2015aQueirós et al, 2016). This would allow an objective evaluation of the quality of the indicator, as detected also by Hummel et al (2015).…”

Section: Recommendations For Future Improvements Of the Cataloguementioning

confidence: 99%

“…By reducing the time spent searching for indicators and by optimizing the comparison between different approaches, time can be devoted to other crucial aspects. For example, the uncertainty associated with assessments, or the effective communication of results, which are too often neglected when applying indicators in assessment and regulatory contexts (Rees et al, 2008;Queirós et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Catalogue of Marine Biodiversity Indicators

et al. 2016

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A Catalogue of Marine Biodiversity Indicators was developed with the aim of providing the basis for assessing the environmental status of the marine ecosystems. Useful for the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), this catalogue allows the navigation of a database of indicators mostly related to biological diversity, non-indigenous species, food webs, and seafloor integrity. Over 600 indicators were compiled, which were developed and used in the framework of different initiatives (e.g., EU policies, research projects) and in national and international contexts (e.g., Regional Seas Conventions, and assessments in non-European seas). The catalogue reflects the current scientific capability to address environmental assessment needs by providing a broad coverage of the most relevant indicators for marine biodiversity and ecosystem integrity. The available indicators are reviewed according to their typology, data requirements, development status, geographical coverage, relevance to habitats or biodiversity components, and related human pressures. Through this comprehensive overview, we discuss the potential of the current set of indicators in a wide range of contexts, from large-scale to local environmental programs, and we also address shortcomings in light of current needs. Developed by the DEVOTES Project, the catalogue is freely available through the DEVOTool software application, which provides browsing and query options for the associated metadata. The tool allows extraction of ranked indicator lists best fulfilling selected criteria, enabling users to search for suitable indicators to address a particular biodiversity component, ecosystem feature, habitat, or pressure in a marine area of interest. This tool is useful for EU Member States, Teixeira et al. Catalogue of Marine Biodiversity IndicatorsRegional Sea Conventions, the European Commission, non-governmental organizations, managers, scientists, and any person interested in marine environmental assessment. It allows users to build, complement or adjust monitoring programs and has the potential to improve comparability and foster transfer of knowledge across marine regions.

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Section: Recommendations For Future Improvements Of the Cataloguementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Recommendations For Future Improvements Of the Cataloguementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Recommendations For Future Improvements Of the Cataloguementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Recommendations For Future Improvements Of the Cataloguementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Catalogue of Marine Biodiversity Indicators

et al. 2016

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A Proposal for Creating a Directory of Marine Biota Gauges in Iraq

Jawad¹

2021

The Arabian Seas: Biodiversity, Environmental Challenges and Conservation Measures

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Cover of coastal vegetation as an indicator of eutrophication along environmental gradients

Wikström

Carstensen

Blomqvist³

2016

Mar Biol

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Coastal vegetation communities are important for primary production, biodiversity, coastal protection, carbon and nutrient cycling which, in combination with their sensitivity to eutrophication, render them potential indicators of environmental status for environmental policies like the EU Water and Marine Strategy Framework Directives. We evaluated one potential indicator for coastal vegetation, the cumulative cover at depths where the vegetation is light limited, by investigating its response to eutrophication along gradients in natural conditions. We used a large data set covering the Swedish coastline, spanning broad gradients in nutrient level, water clarity, seabed substrate, physical exposure and climate in addition to a salinity gradient from 0.5 to 30.5. Macroalgal cover increased significantly along gradients of declining nutrient concentration and increasing water clarity when we had accounted for diver effects, spatio-temporal sampling variability, salinity gradients, wave exposure and latitude. The developed empirical model explained 79% of the variation in algal cover across 130 areas. Based on this, we identified macroalgal cover as a promising indicator across the Baltic Sea, Kattegat and Skagerrak. A parallel analysis of soft-substrate macrophytes similarly identified significant increases in cover with decreasing concentrations of total nitrogen and increasing salinity, but the resulting empirical model explained only 52% of the variation in cover, probably due to the spatially more variable nature of soft-substrate vegetation. The identified general responses of vegetation cover to gradients of eutrophication across wide ranges in environmental settings may be useful for monitoring and management of marine vegetation in areas with strong environmental gradients.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00227-016-3032-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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

Cited by 41 publications

References 76 publications

A Catalogue of Marine Biodiversity Indicators

A Catalogue of Marine Biodiversity Indicators

A Proposal for Creating a Directory of Marine Biota Gauges in Iraq

Cover of coastal vegetation as an indicator of eutrophication along environmental gradients

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