Indicators for biodiversity and ecosystem services: towards an improved framework for ecosystems assessment |
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Authors: | Christian K Feld José Paulo Sousa Pedro Martins da Silva Terence P Dawson |
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Institution: | (1) Applied Zoology/Hydrobiology, Faculty of Biology and Geography, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitaetsstrasse 2, 45141 Essen, Germany;(2) IMAR-CIC, Department of Zoology, University of Coimbra, P3004-517 Coimbra, Portugal;(3) School of Geography, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK |
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Abstract: | Ecosystem assessment and monitoring requires the development and application of suitable indicators, i.e. they need to be
(i) reliable and capable of simplifying complex relationships, (ii) quantifiable and transparent in order to enable an easy
communication, and (iii) fit for the purpose of indication. These requirements are scarcely fulfilled in current ecosystem
assessment and monitoring efforts to address the requirements of international biodiversity conventions. Here we present and
test a set of seven criteria towards an improved framework for ecosystems indication with particular emphasis on the indication
of biodiversity and ecosystem services: purpose of indication, indicator type according to the EEA’s Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response
scheme, direct/indirect linkages to biodiversity and ecosystem services, spatial scale and scalability across scales, applicability
of benchmarks/reference values, availability of data and protocols, and applicability of remote sensing. The criteria are
tested using 24 indicators of ecosystem assessment and monitoring at the global, continental and regional scale. Based on
the general trends revealed by our evaluation, we present recommendations to streamline and improve ecosystem indication with
respect to international biodiversity conventions. The implementation of our recommendations does require concerted international
effort, comparable, for instance, to the implementation of the Water Framework Directive in Europe. |
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