Environmental indicators: their utility in meeting the OSPAR Convention's regulatory needs

<qd> Johnson, D. 2008. Environmental indicators: their utility in meeting the OSPAR Convention's regulatory needs. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65: 1387–1391. </qd>The role of marine environmental indicators is clear; selecting indicators to inform management and for the develo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:ICES Journal of Marine Science
Main Author: Johnson, David
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: Oxford University Press 2008
Subjects:
Online Access:http://icesjms.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/65/8/1387
https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsn154
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Summary:<qd> Johnson, D. 2008. Environmental indicators: their utility in meeting the OSPAR Convention's regulatory needs. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65: 1387–1391. </qd>The role of marine environmental indicators is clear; selecting indicators to inform management and for the development of accepted frameworks is proving more elusive. The OSPAR Commission, charged with the environmental protection of the Northeast Atlantic, has been applying an ecosystem approach since 1998, applying on a trial basis a system of ecological quality objectives as indicators of ecosystem health for the North Sea. This paper presents a framework for biodiversity monitoring and assessment, and discusses specific issues associated with marine-litter indicators, representing a cell within the matrix of the framework. In the immediate future, European marine legislation will drive the development of environmental indicators in the area, and further harmonization of indicator sets should enhance their utility.