Intro
The Situation
During development of the MA Ocean Plan, EEA needed to identify indicators to measure and communicate the effectiveness of plan implementation.
The Project
MOP and EEA convened a process to select indicators for potential use in ocean planning in MA. MOP consultants researched indicator initiatives throughout the region to create a list of potential environmental, socioeconomic, and programmatic indicators. MOP then held a series of workshops with an expert group to select specific indicators from that list. A final set of indicators was then proposed for further study in the Final MA Ocean Plan. On-going efforts include determining the appropriate baseline from which to measure and how changes from that baseline could be attributed to the management plan versus other factors.
Role in Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning
Indicators are essential tools for planners and managers. They utilize current data and information to monitor and communicate progress and are therefore reliant on good quality accessible data.
Challenges & Applications
The indicators used to measure the MA OMP and methods to select those indicators can serve as an example for other coastal and ocean planning efforts. Potential challenges to the use of indicators include developing criteria to understand whether management actions or other extraneous factors are responsible for changes.
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Indicators help us understand how plan implementation affects ocean stakeholders and the environment, and will demonstrate whether planning goals are being met. |
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