An objective framework to test the quality of candidate indicators of good environmental status

Queirós, Ana M.; Strong, James A.; 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

An objective framework to test the quality of candidate indicators of good environmental status

Queirós, Ana M.; Strong, James A.; 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

Authors

Ana M. Queirós

James A. Strong

Dr Krysia Mazik K.Mazik@hull.ac.uk
Senior Lecturer. Marine Biology

Jacob Carstensen

John Bruun

Paul J. Somerfield

Annette Bruhn

Stefano Ciavatta

Eva Flo

Nihayet Bizsel

Murat Özaydinli

Romualda Chuševė

Iñigo Muxika

Henrik Nygård

Nadia Papadopoulou

Maria Pantazi

Dorte Krause-Jensen

Abstract

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 11 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.

Citation

Queirós, A. M., Strong, J. A., Mazik, K., Carstensen, J., Bruun, J., Somerfield, P. J., Bruhn, A., Ciavatta, S., Flo, E., Bizsel, N., Özaydinli, M., Chuševė, R., Muxika, I., Nygård, H., Papadopoulou, N., Pantazi, M., & Krause-Jensen, D. (2016). An objective framework to test the quality of candidate indicators of good environmental status. Frontiers in Marine Science, 3(MAY), 73-1-73-15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2016.00073

Acceptance Date	Apr 28, 2016
Online Publication Date	May 26, 2016
Publication Date	May 26, 2016
Deposit Date	Jun 27, 2016
Publicly Available Date	Jun 27, 2016
Journal	Frontiers in marine science
Electronic ISSN	2296-7745
Publisher	Frontiers Media
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	3
Issue	MAY
Pages	73-1-73-15
DOI	https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2016.00073
Keywords	Ecosystems, European union, Good environmental status, Indicator, Marine strategy framework directive, Pressure, Water framework directive (WFD)
Public URL	https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/474216
Publisher URL	http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmars.2016.00073/full
Additional Information	This is a copy of an open access article published in Frontiers in marine science, 2016, v.3. The article was also published as part of an open access ebook, Borja, A., Elliott, M., Uyarra, M. C., Carstensen, J., Mea, M., eds. (2017). Bridging the Gap Between Policy and Science in Assessing the Health Status of Marine Ecosystems, 2nd Edition. Lausanne: Frontiers Media. doi: 10.3389/978-2-88945-126-5
Contract Date	Jun 27, 2016

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Copyright Statement
© 2016 Queirós, Strong, Mazik, Carstensen, Bruun, Somerfield, Bruhn, Ciavatta, Flo, Bizsel, Özaydinli, Chuševė, Muxika, Nygård, Papadopoulou, Pantazi and Krause-Jensen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.