Environment Environnement
Canada Canada
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A PRIMER ON DEVELOPING AND USING INDICATORS
Assessing Progress
The Great Lakes
Water Quality Agreement
(GLWQA) sets out the
commitment of the United
States and Canada to
"restore and maintain the
chemical, physical and
biological integrity of the
waters of the Great Lakes
basin ecosystem". The
governments have been
working towards achieving
this vision over the past 25
years. The first GLWQA was
signed in 1972 and focused
on control of nutrients. In
1978, the GLWQA was
renegotiated, with a focus on
persistent toxic
chemicals. The terms
"virtual elimination"
and "zero discharge"
entered the vocabulary
of Great Lakes
managers, scientists,
and citizens, as a lofty
goal towards which we
all need to strive.
Finally in 1987, the
1978 GLWQA was
amended, and called
for the development of
indicators of
ecosystem health.
Billions of dollars have
been invested by the two
countries to improve the
health of the Great Lakes and
to strive towards the
Agreement's goals. Policies,
regulations and programs
havebeen developed to
address the complex
Jems facing the Lakes,
including: nutrient pollution,
persistent toxic chemicals,
habitat destruction, loss of
native species and
introduction of exotic ones,
shoreline alterations,
atmospheric deposition of
pollutants, and many others.
What is needed is an
easily understood way of
reporting on progress. A
comprehensive set of Great
Lakes indicators will help
assess progress towards the
binational commitment in the
GLWQA, and determine how
much farther we have to go to
meet the goals of the
Agreement.
What is an indicator?
An indicator is a pieceof
evidence or signal that tells
us something about the
conditions around us. It is a
tool which provides
information about the state of
large systems - such as the
environment, the economy,
the weather, or even human
health. It gives a clue about
the "bigger picture" by looking
at a small piece of the puzzle,
or at several pieces together.
To a sailor or a pilot,
for example, atmospheric
pressure is an indicator of the
weather. To a doctor, blood
pressure provides a clue
about the overall health o f a
patient. To an economist,
Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) gives a snapshot of
the state of a country's
economy.
Each of these
indicators provides
informationabout conditions
at a particular point in
time. To be really useful,
however, we need
indicators to give us
information about trends
overtime. Is the
barometric pressure rising,
falling or staying the
same? Is our blood
pressure higher or lower
than it was the last time
we visited the doctor? Is
the GDP growing or
shrinking?
One of the best ways
to track trends in the
condition of a system is
through the development and
use of a set or "suite" of
indicators. By looking at a
number of indicators together,
we can see which way a
system is going: upordown,
forward or backward. We can
thenassess whether it is
getting better or worse or
staying the same.
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FOR THE GREAT LAKES BASIN ECOSYSTEM
Why do we need indicators for the
Great Lakes basin ecosystem?
Simply put, we need Great Lakes
indicators because it is only through a
comprehensive set of environmental indicators
that we can get a "big picture" perspective on
the state of the entire system.
Assessing the health of something as big
and complex as the Great Lakes basin
ecosystem, which contains one fifth of the
world's fresh water, 10,000 miles (16,000
kilometres) of shoreline, and 33.5 million
residents, is a significant challenge. No one
organization has the resources or the mandate
to examine the state of the entire system.
However, dozens of organizations and
thousands of individuals routinely collect data,
analyze it, and report on parts of the
ecosystem.
Developing a set of Great Lakes
indicators will enable the Great Lakes
community - government and non-government
organizations, industry and individual citizens -
to work together within a consistent framework
to assess and monitor changes in the state of
the Great Lakes basin ecosystem.
How will Great Lakes indicators be
used?
Through the development and use of a
set of indicators for the Great Lakes basin
ecosystem, we can:
• assess changes in the state of the
ecosystem and progress towards achieving
the goals of the GLWQA;
• understand better how our actions affect
the ecosystem, and determine the types of
programs, policies or regulations needed to
address the environmental impacts;
• gain a clearer understanding of existing
(and emerging) environmental problems
and their solutions;
• provide information that will help
managers better assess the success of
current programs and provide a rationale
for future ones; and
• provide information that will help set
priorities for research, data collection,
monitoring and clean-up programs.
GLOSSARY
Goal: Acondition orstate
desired to be brought
aboutthrough a course of
action orprogram.Goals
are usually qualitative
statements thatprovide
direction for plans and
projects. Goals are not
specific numerical
limitations, butconditions
orstateswhichcanbe
obtainedthrough careful
planning and
implementation.
Indicator: In the context
ofSOLEC, it is a
measurable feature (or
features) that provides
outcome-oriented,
managerially and
scientifically useful
evidence ofenvironmental
and ecosystemquality or
reliable evidence of trends
in quality.
Lakewide Management
Plans (LaMPs): A
comprehensive strategy
developed jointly by the
United States and Canada
to restoreand protect
beneficial uses in the open
watersofeachGreatLake.
Objective: Specific
descriptionsofthestateor
condition that must be met
inordertoachievegoals
and vision.
Remedial Action Plans
(RAPs): Plans that
embody a systematic and
comprehensiveecosystem
approach to restoring and
protecting beneficial uses
in AreasofConcern
throughouttheGreat
Lakes ecosystembasin.
Target(orendpoint):
Specific, attainable,
quantitative endpoints for
indicators thatdetermine
achievement of objectives.
Vision: Ageneral
description ofthedesired
state of a lake,
geographical area,or
region that isexpressedby
a groupofstakeholders.A
visionstatement provides
a description of a desired
state - it provides direction
andestablishes a horizon
to be sought.
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A PRIMER ON DEVELOPING AND USING INDICATORS
An Example of a
Great Lakes Indicator
In order to understand
how we use indicators, it is
important to see how
indicators fit into the
hierarchy of a vision, goals,
objectives and targets for the
ecosystem.
The GLWQA sets an
overall vision that we will
"restore and maintain the
chemical, physical and
biological integrity of the
waters of the Great Lakes
basin ecosystem." The
Agreement also sets a goal
(called a General Objective)
that the waters should be
"freefrom nutrients...in
VISION
GOALS
MEASURES
(data point)
INDICATORS
One potential indicator
to assess the health of the
nearshoreandopenwater
areas of the Great Lakes is
the concentration of
phosphorus in the water.
High levels of phosphorus
can accelerate the natural
aging of a lake, lead to
nuisanceblooms of algae,
depletion of oxygen in water,
and other problems.
amounts that
create growths of aquatic life
that interfere with beneficial
uses." Annex 3 of the
Agreement lists specific
objectives for the annual
loadingofphosphorus to each
of the Great Lakes (e.g.
11,000 tonnes for Lake Erie).
If theannual loadings are no
more than these specified
amounts, the Lakes would be
expected to be free of
nuisance growths of algae.
The indicator,
phosphorus concentration in
the waters, tells us something
about the Lakes in relation to
the objective. Scientists have
estimated that if Lake Erie
received 11,000 tonnes of
phosphorus per year, the
concentration of phosphorus
in the Lake's central basin
would be measurable at about
10partsper billion. This
concentration, then, is the
target or end point for the
indicator. It provides a frame
of reference to evaluate the
measurement of phosphorus
concentrations. Therefore,
knowledge of the
concentration of phosphorus
in the waters of the Great
Lakes can help us assess
progress towards achieving
the GLQWA vision, goals and
objectives.
What are the main
considerations in
selecting Great Lakes
indicators?
When we are looking
for indicators to give us
information on complex
systems - such as the Great
Lakes basin ecosystem -
there are several key
considerations.
The most important of these
are identifying a model or
framework for indicator
development, keeping an
"ecosystem perspective", and
establishing criteria for
indicator selection.
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FOR THE GREAT LAKES BASIN ECOSYSTEM
Model for Indicator
Development
One model for
developing environmental
indicators is the "State-
Pressure-Activities" model.
Theunderlying concept for
this model is that human
actions createpressures on
the environment around us,
leading to changes in the
state or conditions in the
environment, which in turn
leads us to respond with
various activities to reduce
the impacts of our actions.
Using the model as a starting
point, indicators are
developed for each of the
three components:
State: Indicators can
help us assess the state of
the environment by providing
information to answer
questions that concern us
such as: Can we eat the
fish? Can we swim at the
beaches? Can we drink the
water? Is the ecosystem
healthy and functioning as
we would expect?
Pressure: Human
actions - how we build, how
we alter or degrade the
environment, the resources
we consume - can have a
dramatic, and sometimes
irreversible effect on the
state of the environment. For
this
reason, we use indicators to
give us information about the
pressures weputonthe
environment through our
actions. Some common
examples of these pressures
are the amount of pollutants
discharged to the
environment, the rateof
urbanization, the presence of
exotic species such as zebra
mussels, and the amount of
wetlands filled in.
Activities: Indicators
that address societal
responses give us valuable
informationabout what we are
doing to prevent, reduce or
eliminate the stresses, and
whether we are achieving
what we set out to do. Are
sewage treatment plants
meeting the targets laid down
in regulations? Have we met
local targets for restoring
wildlifehabitat? Are we
teaching young people about
the environment through our
schools? Have municipalities
adopted and implemented
sediment control programs to
reduce erosion from
construction sites?
Keeping an
"Ecosystem
Perspective"
In addition to the
"State-Pressure-Activities"
model, it is important to keep
an ecosystem perspective in
developing indicators. One
way of doing this is to view
the ecosystem in layers, with
human and aquatic health at
the top as the highest level of
ecosystem integrity. The
second layer is the chemical,
physical and biological
environment, including the
various stresses - such as
chemical pollutants andexotic
species - that affect the
environment. The third layer
consists of human activities
which are the sources of the
stresses. Programs to
address the sources can be
seen as part of this layer, or
as anunderlying fourth layer.
In developing indicators, it is
important that a full
representative spectrum of
indicators be selected to
examine the state of all layers
of the ecosystem.
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A PRIMER ON DEVELOPING AND USING INDICATORS
ECOLOGICAL
INTEGRITY AND
BENEFITS
Human
Health &
Welfare
Physical
STRESSORS
Biological
Chemical
SOURCES
illing Dams Dredging Navigation Exotic Stocking Development Emissions Point Sediments
Species & Erosion Source
Discharges
Economics
Behavior
Institutions
Laws
Programs
Factors Stimulating
or Limiting Stressors
Indicator Selection
Criteria
A third key
consideration in selecting
indicators is the development
of a list of factors or criteria
that will be used to select the
most appropriate indicators.
Important factors that could
be used to select a set of
indicators for the Great
Lakes basin ecosystem
include:
Necessary: Are the
indicators necessary to give
us the information we need
to assess the state of the
ecosystem;
Sufficient: Will the
indicators provide sufficient
information to give a picture of
theoverall health of the
ecosystem; and
Feasible: Is it feasible
(economically and in terms of
human resources) to collect
measurement information
needed for the indicators.
Other criteria which
can be used to select
indicators include: scientific
validity, understandability,
relevance,
representativeness,
interpretability, data
availability, timeliness and
cost considerations.
These criteria provide
an effective basis for
comparing various candidate
indicators that could be
included as part of the set of
Great Lakes indicators.
Those indicators that rate
highly for all or most of the
factors wouldbethebest
candidates for inclusion in the
set.
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FOR THE GREAT LAKES BASIN ECOSYSTEM
Why is it important
to get agreement on
indicators?
When agreement is
reached on a common set
of indicators for the Great
Lakes basin ecosystem, a
number of important
benefits will follow. The set
will:
• help focus government
agencies' efforts related
to Great Lakes data
collection, research,
monitoring and
reporting, thus improving
the allocation of
government resources,
and harmonizing
activities;
• improve the quality of
data and the ability to
share information
through the use of
consistent protocols and
commondatabases;
• create a better foundation
for environmental
managers and resource
planners to assess
progress towards
environmental
management objectives,
and to create programs,
policies and regulations to
meet these objectives; and
• provide the Great Lakes
community, including the
general public, with more
consistent and effective
reporting on the state of the
Great Lakes and on
progress towards achieving
the goals of the GLWQA.
What is the role of
SOLEC in
developing Great Lakes
indicators?
The State of the Lakes
Ecosystem Conference
(SOLEC) was created by the
United States and Canada to
report every two years on the
state of the Great Lakes basin
ecosystem, and on progress
made toward reaching the
goals of the GLWQA. Through
SOLEC, the governments of
the United States and Canada
are striving to establish a
consistent, easily understood
set of candidate indicators
that will enable effective
reporting on the state of the
Great Lakes and on progress
toward GLWQA goals at the
basin-wide scale.
These candidate
indicators will be the subject
of extensive review and
discussion at SOLEC 98.
Following the conference, a
revised list of candidate
indicators will be included as
part of the binational State of
the Lakes report, scheduled
for release in the summer of
1999.
The SOLEC indicators
will complement andbuildon
the work done through
Lakewide Management Plans
(LaMPs) and Remedial Action
Plans (RAPs) to develop
indicators at the lake and
local levels respectively.
Similarly, SOLEC will draw
upon the extensive work done
by others, including the
International Joint
Commission and the Great
Lakes Fishery Commission.
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This paper contains a minimum of 50% recycled fibres,
including 10% post-consumer fibres.
Ce papier contient un minimum de 50% de fibres recyclees
sont 10% de fibres recyclees apres consommation.
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