Publication Abstract

A UK perspective on the development of marine ecosystem indicators

S.I. Rogers and B. Greenaway

This paper reviews the current suite of marine ecosystem indicators currently in use or under development in the UK to support the major national and international biodiversity and ecosystem policy drivers. The best developed Indicators relate to components of the marine environment for which there are well established monitoring programmes, and clear management need. Assessment of these indicators against an adaptive management framework of driving force, pressure, state, impact and response, has shown that there are many indicators of state for ecosystem components, but relatively few for pressure of human activities on the environment, or of the socio-economic response to those pressures. A greater degree of coordination will be necessary to avoid duplication of effort and to optimise the finite resources available for indicator design and data collection.

Reference:

S.I Rogers and B. Greenaway (2005). A UK perspective on the development of marine ecosystem indicators. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 50(1): 9-19.