 |
 
Indicator development and use must be 'plugged-in' to the environmental management cycle. It must begin by addressing a question posed at some stage in the cycle and end by delivering answers back to the cycle. Questions from different stages of the cycle will motivate different types of indicators or ones that operate at different scales in time and space. Indicator use can relate to any stage but typically begins at least by that of identification of tools and resources, and re-enters the cycle near the action and evaluation stages (which then feed wisdom to future management activity). Before beginning indicator design, it is essential to be sure about the questions being addressed, the stage of the management cycle to which the indicators link, and relevant local factors. Otherwise, there is a risk of adopting inappropriate indicators.
One vision that Australians (and others) have articulated is that of ecologically sustainable development. State of the Environment reporting is designed to help assess - or indicate - progress towards ecological sustainability: so, overall, it addresses questions such as 'what are the main environmental issues facing Australia?' and 'are problems getting better or worse?'. Another example is sustainable forest management where questions asked include 'is biodiversity being maintained: and are forest ecosystems healthy?' and where indicators are targeted at helping answer such questions. Locally, a manager may plan to halt rising watertables by planting deep-rooted vegetation. Having set a measurable target for the area needing to be revegetated in order to use water before it enters the watertable, the manager might seek to indicate the answer to 'is the watertable rising or falling?' by asking 'how many plants have been successfully established?' Indicators need to deliver information of use to managers or they won't respond. Few managers have the time or inclination to understand complex or obscure indicators. The science behind an indicator may be complicated: so, those developing it must provide clear guidance about its meaning and its levels of uncertainty. Timeliness is another consideration; indicator data must be available when decisions are being made. In sum, indicators must answer clear questions arising somewhere in a management cycle and be designed to feed back timely information which suits its needs and users. Indicators should help managers establish whether their objectives are being met. 
|
