Forth Order

Question 1

What are sustainable indicators?

Answer 1

Used to measure if sustainable development is being achieved.

Question 2

What are the aims of sustainability indicators?

Answer 2

1. Aid understanding, communication and evaluation of environmental processes, trends and policies.
2. To simplify and represent complex reality ie manageable units.
3. To inform decision making for complex audiences comprised of coastal stakeholders from different discipline / scientific backgrounds

Question 3

What are the characteristics of sustainability indicators?

Answer 3

🌟Characteristic 1 = Types of data include:

1. Single/ key data which represents the state or a trend in environmental, economic or social conditions (presence of key biological indicator species)
2. May refer to systematic characteristics eg environmental carrying capacity (environmental carrying capacity)
3. More complex, constructed data (ratios)
4. Attempt to encapsulate interrelations between economy, society and environment

🌟Characteristic 2 = Stakeholder involvement to form meaningful / understandable indicators.

Question 4

Sustainability indicator approach has been signed up in the UK. Give an English, Welsh and Scottish example.

Answer 4

England : DEFRA launcheda consultation on a new set of sustainable development indicators towards a more sustainable economy, society and environment.

WG: the Environment of Wales Act comes up its a number of indicators from a number of aspects. There are a number of well being goals through the Well Being of Futures Generations Act. In2015, 44 sustainability indicators, covering 29 key issues.

Scotland : focus them in carbon intensity especially

Question 5

Give coastal specific examples.

Answer 5

Australia : funded by the Australian government. Physical, chemical, biological or socio economic measures that best represent key elements of a complex ecosystem or environmental issue. Qualatitive environmental values and measurable goals into measurable WQ objectives.

Europe. EU WOrking Group on Indicators and Data. Indicator based approach to evaluate coastal sustainable development. The Working Group Indicators and Data of the EU ICZM Expert Group promoted the idea of undertaking a project for testing the listed sustainable development indicators on different scales, among some public institutions.

The DEDUCE project - 2005 - 2007. The objective was to validate the tools needed for decision making at the coast. Proving the usefulness, viability and necessity of an integrated approach to information management by means of environmental and socioeconomic indicators for measuring the degree of sustainable development.

Question 6

What are SAIL indicators?

Answer 6

2002 - Recommendation concerning implementation of ICZM stresses the need for appropriate information transfer from science to end user such as decision makers and the public. To improve understanding, focus must be given to sustainability indicators.

SAIL partnership = help manage issues on the coastal zone bordering Southern North Sea area. The first indicator based regional scale assessment in the southern North Sea. The indicator for sustainable development provide benchmarks for identifying future trends in sustainability for our coasts.

Question 7

What are the characteristics needed of indicators?

Answer 7

Representative of the issue
Quantifiable 
Scientific validity 
Data availability over time 
Responsive to change 
Ability to compare data to a target of threshold value 
National perspective 
Understandable 
Relevant to needs of users 
Geographic coverage of whole area
Cost effectinews

Question 8

Comment on the ICZM programme cycle.

Answer 8

Although the stages are sequential, constant feedback is essential - reformulTion of problems, adjusted planning, modifications to implementation

It is an interactive, cyclic process

An adaptive process