Panel-based assessment of ecosystem condition as a platform for adaptive and knowledge driven management.

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Environmental Science
• Conservation Biology

Background:

• Ecosystems face increasing anthropogenic pressures, necessitating robust assessment tools.
• Current ecosystem accounting systems often rely on aggregated indicators, lacking detailed driver-response understanding.
• A gap exists between simplified accounting and the need for explicit assessment of driver-ecosystem condition links for adaptive management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the Panel-based Assessment of Ecosystem Condition (PAEC) protocol.
• To integrate quantitative and qualitative evidence, including uncertainty, for ecosystem condition assessment.
• To provide a framework for understanding driver-ecosystem dynamics at management-relevant scales.

Main Methods:

• The PAEC protocol uses explicit predictions (phenomena) of ecosystem changes driven by anthropogenic factors.
• It tests these predictions against observational data.
• It quantifies and integrates uncertainty at multiple levels for a holistic assessment.

Main Results:

• The PAEC protocol was successfully applied as a proof-of-concept in both marine and terrestrial ecosystems in Norway.
• The approach demonstrated its capability to combine diverse evidence and uncertainty assessments.
• It provides a structured method for evaluating ecosystem condition in response to multiple drivers.

Conclusions:

• The PAEC protocol offers a robust framework for integrated ecosystem condition assessment.
• It bridges the gap between aggregated indicators and detailed driver-response dynamics.
• PAEC supports knowledge-driven, adaptive ecosystem management by explicitly addressing uncertainty and driver impacts.