Abstract
This project will evaluate the range of indicators that relate to the natural environment, currently used by Defra and other government departments and agencies, for their consistency with an ecosystems approach. Many of the currently used indicators and targets relate to specific aspects of the natural environment, for instance populations of individual species or concentrations of particular pollutants, but do not give an overall perspective on the health of ecosystems. This project will examine which of the currently used indicators, or combinations of indicators, can best be used monitor the health of ecosystems as a whole and the sustainable supply of ecosystem services on which we depend. It will also recommend where new indicators or targets are needed and how best to go about setting them.
United Kingdom