The Marine Trophic Index (MTI) assesses the complex interactions between
fisheries and marine ecosystems over time. A decrease in the MTI reflects a
situation where a multi-species fishery is unsustainable, with an increasing
proportion of the catch consisting of invertebrates and fish that are low in the
food chain.
The index is calculated largely using catch composition data from countries
around the world, collected by the
Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
National-level indices have been calculated, and the national data can also be
readily applied at the global level. The data can also be analysed in various
groupings, from broad taxa (e.g. fish / crustacean / mollusc) down to
habitat-based fish divisions, and the species level. Time series data from
commercial fisheries are available from 1950, and the indicator should be
sensitive enough to detect trends from 2000 to 2010.
Deterioration of water quality can affect aquatic community assemblages, with the
general results being a loss of species diversity and shifts from
pollution-sensitive towards pollution-tolerant organisms. Excessive sediment
loads in rivers, for example, disturb the life-cycle of fishes by interfering
with respiration and covering spawning areas, and when deposited can smother
benthic organisms. Sediment loads may also disturb nutrient cycles in wetlands
and estuaries. However, significant reductions in natural sediment loads,
through sedimentation behind dams, can be equally harmful by reducing nutrient
availability downstream. Various pollutants have differing effects ranging from
inducing catastrophic mortality to chronic illness, in addition to the effects
of bio-accumulation through the food chain.
This indicator will provide a good overview of the integrity of freshwater
ecosystems and is made is made up of a composite of well developed water quality
indicators:
- Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) reflects the level of organic pollution in the
water.
- Nitrate concentration reflects trophic status, and the degree to which water is
enriched by nutrients as a result of agriculture and sewage, resulting in algal
growth (eutrophication).
- Suspended sediments indicate the degree to which the drainage basin has been
eroded, and related changes in the water flow regime.
- pH and temperature show the degree of acidification and thermal patterns of
inland waters. Most aquatic organisms can tolerate specific pH and temperature
ranges, and deviations from the ranges can influence aquatic community
composition.
Trends over a ten-year period should be available for this indicator, with
greater temporal and spatial coverage for Europe and North America than for the
rest of the world. This indicator can be applied at regional, national and
global scales.
Forest Fragmentation
While the degree to which terrestrial ecosystems naturally occur in distinct
patches varies among ecosystem types and regions, human actions have generally
led to a tendency for ecosystems to become more fragmented. This has
significant, largely negative implications for their native biodiversity,
through the effects on species of area reduction, edge exposure and isolation,
as well as through interruption of ecosystem processes and associated ecosystem
degradation.
A number of national and sub-national forest fragmentation assessments exist,
including for Costa Rica, New Zealand, Australia, and the United States of
America. An existing global scale assessment has been performed using
coarse-resolution remote sensing data. This indicator will use satellite
observation data to assess changes in the fragmentation of forest ecosystems. It
will be closely associated with the indicator on the extent of biomes,
ecosystems, and habitats. The trends for this indicator should be detectable by
2010 for forest ecosystems in most regions and on a global scale.
River fragmentation and flow regulation
This indicator measures the degree to which freshwater systems have been altered
by dams and other channel fragmentation, and other stresses associated with
water withdrawals and diversions. It has two components: fragmentation (number
and placement of dams), and flow regulation (how much water is stored behind
dams).
Three versions of this indicator have been developed, including one adapted to
calculate trends by global freshwater ecoregion. The latest version includes all
rivers with a Virgin Mean Annual Discharge (VMAD) of 350m3/s or greater, with
the exception of those in Malaysia and Indonesia, and dam and reservoir data.
Work is underway to adapt the indicator so that trends in different freshwater
ecoregions can be identified. The work is being developed and funded by
WWF, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and
Umeå University in Sweden.
All humans rely on the provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting
services of ecosystems for survival and well-being (Millennium Ecosystem
Assessment (MA), 2005). While urban individuals also rely on local ecosystems
for their survival, it is the rural poor that are likely to bear the greatest
burden of ecosystem degradation whilst having the least ability to cope with
changes by commandeering goods and services from further afield. This indicator
is currently in development. Following consultations with experts from a broad
range of disciplines, the indicator will examine issues relating to human health
and well-being, such as food security, nutritional intake and/or household
income, in the context of biodiversity.
Nutritional status of biodiversity
Food composition data, together with food consumption surveys, are used for
determining nutritional adequacy and food security for individuals, households,
communities, and nations. Many factors are known to affect the nutrient content
of foods, including climate, geography and geochemistry, agricultural practices
such as fertilization, and the genetic makeup of the cultivar. The purpose of
this indicator is to monitor biodiversity over time by measuring the composition
and consumption of food and medicinal plant and animal genetic resources. The
first phase involves identification of the number of foods consumed by variety
or cultivar, as well as their component values. This will require similar
techniques to those used in dietary assessments for monitoring and improving
food security and the nutritional status of human populations. The second phase
of the indicator will involve measuring the actual consumption of biodiversity
for food and medicine over time.
Data is available from national food consumption databases, including
information on the range of nutrients consumed, and in some cases information on
bioactive non-nutrients, antinutrients, and contaminants. Data collection for
the indicator is likely to involve similar processes to those used for
collecting data on the nutrient composition of foods consumed for areas
including health assessment, food aid, the formulation of institutional and
therapeutic diets, nutrition education, food and nutrition training,
epidemiological research on relationships between diet and disease, plant and
animal breeding, nutrition labelling, food regulations, and consumer protection.
Trends for this indicator will be available at national and global scales, and
it is expected that by 2010 a comprehensive trends analysis will be possible at
the species level.
Biodiversity for food and medicine
Medicinal plant species are the foundation of the majority of healthcare
practices worldwide, and many wild vertebrate species are crucial sources of
food for millions of people. Therefore a change in the conservation status of
these animals and plants is likely to have a direct impact on human health and
wellbeing. The indicator will therefore describe the current knowledge of
conservation status and changes in the rate of decline for plant species used
for medicine and terrestrial vertebrate species used for food and medicine. In
addition, the conservation status, trade and sustainability of use of a subset
of these species considered to be of high importance within different geographic
regions will be assessed in more detail.