
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Ward, Trevor J. 
T1  - Indicators for assessing the sustainability of Australia's marine ecosystems
JF  - Marine and Freshwater Research
JO  - Mar. Freshwater Res.
Y1  - 2000
VL  - 51
IS  - 5
SP  - 435
EP  - 446
KW  - 
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1071/MF99052 
N2  - Principles of integrated ecosystem-based management have been used to derive 61 potential environmental indicators for reporting on Australia&#8217;s marine and estuarine ecosystems. They are focused on tracking the condition of marine ecosystems in the face of a variety of uses and pressures, and are consistent with approaches used for assessment of public- and private-sector environmental activities, and with the international standard. The in icators cover issues in protected species, common habitats, renewable and non-renewable resources, water and sediment quality, and integrated management. Gaps in knowledge and technical capacity include: knowledge of the nature of the ecosystems is incomplete (ineffective indicators may be selected); scientific understanding of environmental issues is limited (the wrong cause may be identified); the resolving capacity of a monitoring programme cannot be determined (monitoring may falsely infer that no changes have occurred, or provide an answer to the wrong question); procedures for synthesis and aggregation of data across spatial, temporal and taxonomic scales, or for estimating uncertainty in national summaries are lacking; case-study trials, reference sites, and suitable interpretative models are needed; and an established procedure for revising and updating the indicators as new knowledge accrues, or if new issues arise, is lacking. 
ER  -

