Table 2.
Assessing the soundness of indicators.
| 1. purpose | what does the indicator aim to indicate? |
| is the aim described clearly? | |
| is the aim to indicate changes in specific taxa only? Or is the aim to indicate change in biodiversity more generally, thus beyond its constituent parts? | |
| is the aim to show how taxa or biodiversity responds to a particular environmental driver? | |
| what spatial scale is the indicator designed for? Is the aim to indicate changes at a national scale, a regional scale or something else? Is the aim to indicate changes per ecosystem and which ecosystems are distinguished? | |
| is the indicator intended to respond rapidly to environmental change? If not immediately, then on what time-scale? | |
| who are the key stakeholders, policy- and decision-makers? | |
| is the driver susceptible to human influence through policy or other measures? | |
| can the indicator be disaggregated to shed light on the underlying ecological processes? | |
| 2. fit for purpose | do sampling design and statistical method correspond to the purpose? |
| are the methods of species and sample site selection sound? Do they ensure representation of species groups, habitats or geographical areas? If not, can this be adjusted to reduce bias? | |
| is the statistical analysis sound? Have missing values been taken into account? Are confidence limits around the indicator available? Failing this, can the sensitivity be measured in other ways? | |
| if the purpose is to show changes in biodiversity more generally, how can this be substantiated? | |
| if the purpose is to link changes with drivers, what is the evidence for this link? Is a positive change in the indicator associated with an improving or deteriorating situation for species/habitats in the environment? Could other environmental factors explain the behaviour of the indicator? | |
| 3. practicality | can the indicator be constructed and updated easily? |
| does the indicator use existing data and expertise, or require new data collection and expertise? | |
| is the indicator available immediately? If not, on what time-scale can it be produced? | |
| can the indicator be updated frequently, e.g. annually, or less frequently? | |
| what level of resource is required to produce the indicator? Is it cost-effective? Is further investment required and justified? |