PARENT SESSION
Symposium 20: Defining and Applying Environmental Indicators in Coastal Ecosystems
Organized by: R Howe and G Niemi
Thursday, August 7. 1:30 PM to 5:00 PM, SITCC Chatham Ballroom B.

Socioeconomic dimensions of environmental indicators and their applications to coastal resource management.

Shortle, James ^*,1, O'Connor, Robert¹, Fisher, Ann¹, Finley, James¹, ¹ Penn State University, University Park, PA, USA

ABSTRACT- Useful indicators of the condition coastal ecosystems must have ecological validity and reliability. But they must also be meaningful to and relevant for intended audiences. These audiences include decision makers in environmental and resource management and planning agencies, as well as stakeholders to whom decision makers must be responsive. In this paper we examine the implications of (1) human perceptual and attitudinal dimensions of the types of information that different audiences find useful for documenting trends, setting priorities, and selecting management activities and (2) risk communication methods for the choice and presentation of indicator information to environmental managers and other audiences. The paper includes results from interviews with state and federal environmental managers in the Atlantic Slope Region to identify their use of environmental indicators and their informational needs and preferences.

Key words: Coastal Ecosystems, Environmental indicators, Human dimensions