selecting indicator portfolios for marine species and food webs a puget sound case study选择指标组合普捷湾海洋物种和食物网的案例研究.pdfVIP

Selecting Indicator Portfolios for Marine Species and Food Webs: A Puget Sound Case Study 1 ¤ 2 3 2 Jessi Kershner * , Jameal F. Samhouri , C. Andrew James , Phillip S. Levin 1 School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America, 2 Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Seattle, Washington, United States of America, 3 Center for Urban Waters, University of Washington, Tacoma, Washington, United States of America Abstract Ecosystem-based management (EBM) has emerged as a promising approach for maintaining the benefits humans want and need from the ocean, yet concrete approaches for implementing EBM remain scarce. A key challenge lies in the development of indicators that can provide useful information on ecosystem status and trends, and assess progress towards management goals. In this paper, we describe a generalized framework for the methodical and transparent selection of ecosystem indicators. We apply the framework to the second largest estuary in the United States – Puget Sound, Washington – where one of the most advanced EBM processes is currently underway. Rather than introduce a new method, this paper integrates a variety of familiar approaches into one step-by-step approach that will lead to more consistent and reliable reporting on ecosystem condition. Importantly, we demonstrate how a framework linking indicators to policy goals, as well as a clearly defined indicator evaluation and scoring process, can result in a portfolio of useful and complementary indicators based on the needs of different users (e.g., policy makers and scientists). Although the set of i