scholarly journals Using indicators for evaluating, comparing, and communicating the ecological status of exploited marine ecosystems. 1. The IndiSeas project

2009 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 686-691 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunne-Jai Shin ◽  
Lynne J. Shannon
Keyword(s):  
Working Group ◽  
Scientific Community ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Ecological Indicators ◽  
Ecosystem Approach ◽  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Sound Communication ◽  
The Status ◽  
Generic Set

Abstract Shin, Y-J., and Shannon, L. J. 2010. Using indicators for evaluating, comparing and communicating the ecological status of exploited marine ecosystems. 1. The IndiSeas project. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 67: 686–691. One of the challenges faced by the scientific community grappling with the ecosystem approach to fisheries is to propose a generic set of synthetic ecological indicators, which would accurately reflect the effects of fisheries on marine ecosystems, and could support sound communication and management practices. The IndiSeas Working Group was established in 2005 under the auspices of the Eur-Oceans Network of Excellence to develop methods to provide indicators-based assessments of the status of exploited marine ecosystems in a comparative framework. Here, we present the two main outputs of the first phase of the project: a suite of papers documenting a combination of indicator-based methods and results comparing the ecological status of the world's exploited marine ecosystems, and a website aiming to communicate these results beyond scientific audiences.

scholarly journals Using indicators for evaluating, comparing, and communicating the ecological status of exploited marine ecosystems. 2. Setting the scene

2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 692-716 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunne-Jai Shin ◽  
Lynne J. Shannon ◽  
Alida Bundy ◽  
Marta Coll ◽  
Kerim Aydin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Group ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Ecological Indicators ◽  
Ecosystem Approach ◽  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Insufficient Data ◽  
Ecosystem Drivers ◽  
Selection Of

Abstract Shin, Y-J., Shannon, L. J., Bundy, A., Coll, M., Aydin, K., Bez, N., Blanchard, J. L., Borges, M. F., Diallo, I., Diaz, E., Heymans, J. J., Hill, L., Johannesen, E., Jouffre, D., Kifani, S., Labrosse, P., Link, J. S., Mackinson, S., Masski, H., Möllmann, C., Neira, S., Ojaveer, H., ould Mohammed Abdallahi, K., Perry, I., Thiao, D., Yemane, D., and Cury, P. M. 2010. Using indicators for evaluating, comparing, and communicating the ecological status of exploited marine ecosystems. 2. Setting the scene. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 67: 692–716. Background is provided to the selection of ecological indicators by the IndiSeas Working Group, and the methodology adopted for analysis and comparison of indicators across exploited marine ecosystems is documented. The selected indicators are presented, how they are calculated is explained, and the philosophy behind the comparative approach is given. The combination of selected indicators is intended to reflect different dynamics, tracking processes that display differential responses to fishing, and is meant to provide a complementary means of assessing marine ecosystem trends and states. IndiSeas relied on inputs and insights provided by the local experts from participating ecosystems, helping to understand state and trend indicators and to disentangle the effect of other potential ecosystem drivers, such as climate variability. This project showed that the use of simple and available indicators under an ecosystem approach can achieve a real, wide-reaching evaluation of marine ecosystem status caused by fishing. This is important because the socio-economics of areas where fishing activities develop differs significantly around the globe, and in many countries, insufficient data are available for complex and exhaustive analyses.

scholarly journals Can simple be useful and reliable? Using ecological indicators to represent and compare the states of marine ecosystems

2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 717-731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunne-Jai Shin ◽  
Alida Bundy ◽  
Lynne J. Shannon ◽  
Monique Simier ◽  
Marta Coll ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecological Indicators ◽  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Reference Levels ◽  
The Public ◽  
Scientific Experts ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Status ◽  
Generic Set ◽  
Ecosystem State

Abstract Shin, Y-J., Bundy, A., Shannon, L. J., Simier, M., Coll, M., Fulton, E. A., Link, J. S., Jouffre, D., Ojaveer, H., Mackinson, S., Heymans, J. J., and Raid, T. 2010. Can simple be useful and reliable? Using ecological indicators to represent and compare the states of marine ecosystems. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 67: 717–731. Within the IndiSeas WG, the evaluation of exploited marine ecosystems has several steps, from simple binary categorization of ecosystems to a more-complex attempt to rank them and to evaluate their status using decision-tree analyses. With the intention of communicating scientific knowledge to the public and stakeholders, focus is on evaluating and comparing the status of exploited marine ecosystems using a set of six ecological indicators and a simple and transparent graphic representation of ecosystem state (pie charts). A question that arose was whether it was acceptable to compare different types of marine ecosystems using a generic set of indicators. To this end, an attempt is made to provide reference levels to which ecosystems can be objectively compared. Unacceptable thresholds for each indicator are determined based on ecological expertise derived from a questionnaire distributed to a group of scientific experts. Analysis of the questionnaires revealed no significant difference in the thresholds provided for different ecosystem types, suggesting that it was reasonable to compare states directly across different types of ecosystem using the set of indicators selected.

scholarly journals Integrative ecological management of coastal marine and limans ecosystems of Ukraine

2021 ◽  
Vol 255 ◽  
pp. 01008
Author(s):  
Galyna Minicheva ◽  
Viktor Demchenko ◽  
Yevhen Sokolov
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
National Level ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Ecosystem Approach ◽  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Ecological Management ◽  
Coastal Marine ◽  
Catchment Areas ◽  
Coastal Marine Ecosystems

Based on the experience of managing coastal marine, and limans ecosystems of Ukraine, the theoretical scheme of Integrative Ecological Management is considered. The scheme includes the “Basic Diagnostic” block for which the key tools are: Basin Assessment, Ecosystem Approach and Ecosystem Services. Geo-information Technologies are demonstrated in order to assess the catchment areas of some limans and coastal marine ecosystems of Ukraine. With the ecosystem approach, it is necessary to use functional indicators for assessing autotrophic, heterotrophic and decomposer communities of the ecosystem, the bind of which is associated with Ecological Status of the water body. It is indicated that an important goal of environmental management is reducing the intensity of anthropogenic flows of substance and energy, which cause destruction of the ecological balance and devaluation of ecosystem services. For the second block of the scheme - “Decision Making” it is proposed to use Priority Management Algorithm principle as an effective tool which allows to achieve the target maximum at minimal cost. At the final stage of the “Target Result”, recommendations that are offered to stakeholders at the local, regional and national level must achievement the main objectives of the Integrative Ecological Management of coastal marine ecosystems and limans.

scholarly journals Using ecosystem approach indicators for assessing the ecological status of reef fisheries management in a marine protected area

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
ERNIK YULIANA ◽  
MENNOFATRIA BOER ◽  
ACHMAD FAHRUDIN ◽  
MOHAMMAD MUKHLIS KAMAL ◽  
SHINTA TRILESTARI PARDEDE
Keyword(s):  
Fisheries Management ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Ecosystem Approach ◽  
Central Java ◽  
Observation Methods ◽  
The Status ◽  
Tactical Decisions

Abstract. Yuliana E, Boer M, Fahrudin A, Kamal MM, Pardede ST. 2019. Using ecosystem approach indicators for assessing the ecological status of reef fisheries management in a marine protected area. Biodiversitas 20: 1802-1810.  The purpose of this study was to assess the status of reef fisheries management in a marine protected area base on ecosystem approach indicators and to determine the tactical decisions required to improve management. The study site was in Karimunjawa National Park (KNP) Jepara, Central Java, Indonesia. Data were collected using survey and observation methods and included both primary and secondary data. Coral fish, which were the object of the study was Caesio cuning, Caesio caerulaurea, Plectropomus oligacanthus, and Parupeneus barberinus. Determination of the status of each ecosystem approach indicator was conducted using the flag model. Tactical decisions were necessary to improve the status of management indicators. The results indicated that the ecological status of reef fisheries management of KNP is at a moderate level with an achievement value of 62.75% Tactical decisions are necessary to push the ten indicators to achieve a better level. Three indicators still received a poor status, and the remaining (seven indicators) were within the moderate status. Therefore, the three indicators that need to be improved quickly are fish abundance, fishing gear modification, and fishing capacity.

An Evaluation of Factors that Influence the Success of Knowledge Management Practices in U.S. Federal Agencies

2011 ◽  
pp. 172-188
Author(s):  
Elsa Rhoads ◽  
Kevin J. O'Sullivan ◽  
Michael Stankosky
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Working Group ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Federal Agencies ◽  
Chief Information Officers ◽  
Primary Responsibility ◽  
The Status ◽  
Knowledge Management Practices ◽  
The U.S

This research chapter investigates the status of knowledge management (KM) practices implemented across federal agencies of the U.S. government. It analyzes the extent to which this status is influenced by the size of the agency, whether or not the agency type is a cabinet-level department or independent agency, the longevity of KM practices implemented in the agency, whether or not the agency has adopted a written KM policy or strategy, and whether the primary responsibility for KM practices in the agency is directed by a chief knowledge officer (CKO) or KM unit versus other functional locations in the agency. The research also tests for possible KM practitioner bias, since the survey was directed to members of the Knowledge Management Working Group (KMWG) of the Federal Chief Information Officers (CIO) Council who are KM practitioners in federal agencies.

An Evaluation of Factors that Influence the Success of Knowledge Management Practices in US Federal Agencies

2010 ◽  
pp. 74-90
Author(s):  
Elsa Rhoads ◽  
Kevin J. O’Sullivan ◽  
Michael Stankosky
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Working Group ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Federal Agencies ◽  
Primary Responsibility ◽  
The Status ◽  
Knowledge Management Practices ◽  
The U.S

This chapter investigates the status of knowledge management practices implemented across federal agencies of the U.S. government. It analyzes the extent to which this status is influenced by the size of the agency, whether or not the agency type is a Cabinet-level Department or Independent Agency, the longevity of KM Practices implemented in the agency, whether or not the agency has adopted a written KM policy or strategy, and whether the primary responsibility for KM Practices in the agency is directed by a CKO or KM unit versus other functional locations in the agency. The research also tests for possible KM practitioner bias, since the survey was directed to members of the Knowledge Management Working Group of the Federal CIO Council and KM practitioners in federal agencies.

scholarly journals Trend analysis of indicators: a comparison of recent changes in the status of marine ecosystems around the world

2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 732-744 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia L. Blanchard ◽  
Marta Coll ◽  
Verena M. Trenkel ◽  
Rémi Vergnon ◽  
Dawit Yemane ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trend Analysis ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Ecological Indicators ◽  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Predatory Fish ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
The World ◽  
The Status

Abstract Blanchard, J. L., Coll, M., Trenkel, V. M., Vergnon, R., Yemane, D., Jouffre, D., Link, J. S., and Shin, Y-J. 2010. Trend analysis of indicators: a comparison of recent changes in the status of marine ecosystems around the world. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 67: 732–744. Time-series of ecological and exploitation indicators collected from 19 ecosystems were analysed to investigate whether there have been temporal trends in the status of fish communities. Using linear and non-linear statistical methods, trends are reported for six indicators (mean length of fish in the community, mean lifespan, proportion of predatory fish, total biomass of surveyed species, mean trophic level of landings, and inverse fishing pressure), and the redundancy of these indicators across ecosystems is evaluated. The expected direction of change for an ecosystem that is increasingly impacted by fishing is a decline in all indicators. A mixture of negative and positive directions of change is recorded, both within and among all ecosystems considered. No consistent patterns in the redundancy of the ecological indicators across ecosystems emerged from the analyses, confirming that each indicator provided complementary information on ecosystem status. The different trends in indicators may reflect differing historical exploitation patterns, management, and environmental regimes in these systems. Commitment to monitoring programmes and development of system-specific baseline, target, and threshold reference levels are required. Improved understanding of the responsiveness and performance of ecological indicators to management actions are needed to address adequately whether ecosystems are recovering from, or being further impacted by, fishing, and whether management targets are being met. The relative effects of multiple environmental and ecological processes as well as multiple human-induced stressors that characterize exploited ecosystems also need to be quantified.

Forest Management In Mongolia – A Review Of Challenges And Lessons Learned With Special Reference To Degradation And Deforestation

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 133-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Gradel ◽  
Gerelbaatar Sukhbaatar ◽  
Daniel Karthe ◽  
Hoduck Kang
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Forest Health ◽  
Hydrological Regime ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Driven System ◽  
The Status

The natural conditions, climate change and socio-economic challenges related to the transformation from a socialistic society towards a market-driven system make the implementation of sustainable land management practices in Mongolia especially complicated. Forests play an important role in land management. In addition to providing resources and ecosystem functions, Mongolian forests protect against land degradation.We conducted a literature review of the status of forest management in Mongolia and lessons learned, with special consideration to halting deforestation and degradation. We grouped our review into seven challenges relevant to developing regionally adapted forest management systems that both safeguard forest health and consider socio-economic needs. In our review, we found that current forest management in Mongolia is not always sustainable, and that some practices lack scientific grounding. An overwhelming number of sources noticed a decrease in forest area and quality during the last decades, although afforestation initiatives are reported to have increased. We found that they have had, with few exceptions, only limited success. During our review, however, we found a number of case studies that presented or proposed promising approaches to (re-)establishing and managing forests. These studies are further supported by a body of literature that examines how forest administration, and local participation can be modified to better support sustainable forestry. Based on our review, we conclude that it is necessary to integrate capacity development and forest research into holistic initiatives. A special focus should be given to the linkages between vegetation cover and the hydrological regime.

scholarly journals Cost-efficiency assessments of marine monitoring methods lack rigor—a systematic mapping of literature and an end-user view on optimal cost-efficiency analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 193 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heini Hyvärinen ◽  
Annaliina Skyttä ◽  
Susanna Jernberg ◽  
Kristian Meissner ◽  
Harri Kuosa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Studies ◽  
Cost Efficiency ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Actual Cost ◽  
Monitoring Methods ◽  
Monitoring Method ◽  
Marine Monitoring ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Cost

AbstractGlobal deterioration of marine ecosystems, together with increasing pressure to use them, has created a demand for new, more efficient and cost-efficient monitoring tools that enable assessing changes in the status of marine ecosystems. However, demonstrating the cost-efficiency of a monitoring method is not straightforward as there are no generally applicable guidelines. Our study provides a systematic literature mapping of methods and criteria that have been proposed or used since the year 2000 to evaluate the cost-efficiency of marine monitoring methods. We aimed to investigate these methods but discovered that examples of actual cost-efficiency assessments in literature were rare, contradicting the prevalent use of the term “cost-efficiency.” We identified five different ways to compare the cost-efficiency of a marine monitoring method: (1) the cost–benefit ratio, (2) comparative studies based on an experiment, (3) comparative studies based on a literature review, (4) comparisons with other methods based on literature, and (5) subjective comparisons with other methods based on experience or intuition. Because of the observed high frequency of insufficient cost–benefit assessments, we strongly advise that more attention is paid to the coverage of both cost and efficiency parameters when evaluating the actual cost-efficiency of novel methods. Our results emphasize the need to improve the reliability and comparability of cost-efficiency assessments. We provide guidelines for future initiatives to develop a cost-efficiency assessment framework and suggestions for more unified cost-efficiency criteria.

Accountability in the financial management practices of school principals

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Agrippa Madoda Dwangu ◽  
Vimbi Petrus Mahlangu
Keyword(s):  
Financial Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Basic Education ◽  
School Principals ◽  
School Principal ◽  
Department Of Education ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Status

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to investigate the effectiveness of accountability mechanisms employed in financial management practices of school principals in the Eastern Cape Provincial Department of Education. The strengths and weaknesses of the systems and mechanisms of the processes to hold school principals accountable are explored in detail in this study. The argument that this article seeks to advance is that accountability of the school principal to the school governing body (SGB) does not yield the best results in terms of efficiency. It creates a loose arrangement in terms of which the school principal takes part in financial mismanagement in schools.Design/methodology/approachData collection was made through semi-structured interviews whose purpose was to draw experiences from SGBs, particularly the finance committees who are in fact the sub-committees of the SGBs; as well as literature review. The finance committee is made up of the chairperson of the SGB, the secretary of the SGB, the treasurer of the SGB, and the financial officer who is a clerk responsible for the keeping and the management of financial records of the school. The process started with semi-structured interviews, then transcribing, coding, developing themes, making meaning of the themes and subsequently developing a principle.FindingsMechanisms employed by schools and the Department of Education to hold principals accountable for their financial management practices fail to make them fully accountable and effectively face the consequences of acts on their part that are illegal and unlawful. The mechanisms need a great deal of overhauling. The argument that this article seeks to advance is that this account of the school principal to the SGB does not yield the best results in terms of efficiency. It creates a loose arrangement in terms of which the school principal easily gets away with a crime when financial mismanagement occurs in the school.Research limitations/implicationsParticipants could possibly not be comfortable and willing, to tell the truth as it is. Participants might have the fear that telling the truth could land them in trouble with the law. Whilst participants were assured by the researchers of their anonymity and the confidentiality of the information given by them, there was no guarantee that the fear of being exposed would subdue completely. There was also a possibility that some participants would not be willing to say the truth as it is for fear of being victimised by other participants for exposing the status quo in their schools.Practical implicationsThe findings and recommendations from this study may be used by the Department of Basic Education as a source of information for policymakers and stakeholders to understand the effectiveness of their mechanisms to ensure the accountability of school principals on issues of financial management. On the basis of this study, policymakers will then be able to revisit their policies for the purpose of strengthening them. The principal is therefore responsible for the day-to-day administration and management of school funds because of this mandatory delegation. However, when things go wrong, it is the SGB that is held liable.Social implicationsSchool principals hold dual accountability in terms of which they are accountable to the employer only in so far as their professional responsibilities are concerned on financial management in the first instance. They are by no means accounting officers in schools. In the second instance, they are fully accountable to the SGB for issues relating to financial management. Section 16A of SASA lists the functions and responsibilities for which the principal as an employee of the Department of Basic Education, and in his official capacity as contemplated in Sections 23(1) and 24(1) (j) of the same Act, is accountable to the head of department (HOD).Originality/valueThe study provides a theoretical and empirical contribution to the existing literature on the effectiveness of the mechanisms employed to ensure the accountability of school principals in their financial management practices in schools. It offers practical recommendations putting in place mechanisms that effectively hold school principals wholly accountable for their financial management practices in schools. Most of the time, it is easy for the principal to get away with a crime even in instances where he or she is called upon to account for alleged financial mismanagement.

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