Presentation Abstract
Since the mid-1980’s, there have been focused federal, state and local efforts to restore the Puget Sound ecosystem. Beginning in 2008 the Puget Sound Partnership (PSP) has produced Action Agendas that describe comprehensive recovery programs and, since 2011, have identified a set of Vital Signs and indicators. As of 2018, PSP identified 25 Vital Signs (VS) with 52 affiliated indicators. The PSP is now undertaking a collaborative effort to revise the VS and indicators to address known concerns and to situate them in a framework of other types of progress measures. Revised VS and indicators will characterize biophysical condition and human well being for Puget Sound, while directly assessing progress toward the program goals. The revision process was initiated in spring 2019, and will recommend revisions to the PSP Leadership Council in June 2020. Vetting of existing and new indicators is being conducted through a series of facilitated interactions with knowledgeable individuals, topical expert groups, indicator leads, stakeholder groups and technical workshops. Refinement of sampling designs associated with indicators to better address science questions is also being discussed as part of the process. A comprehensive analysis of existing and potentially new candidate VS and indicators produced in 2018 and a set of detailed conceptual ecological models developed in 2019 together provide relevant scientific underpinnings for the process. Progress check-in meetings are also held with the PSP Science Panel and policy boards, including the Leadership Council. Updated VS and indicators, along with the complementary progress measures, should help tell a robust and well-supported assessment of how the Puget Sound ecosystem “is doing”, and formulate management questions that guide the recovery planning effort.
Session Title
State of the Salish Sea: Trends in Ecosystem Services, Pressures on Supporting Ecosystem Processes and Community Management Objectives
Conference Track
Ecosystem-Based Management, Science & Policy
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2020 : Online)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
2020_abstractID_1216
Start Date
21-4-2020 9:00 AM
End Date
22-4-2020 4:45 PM
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Ecosystem management--Washington (State)--Puget Sound
Subjects – Names (LCNAF)
Puget Sound Partnership
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Puget Sound (Wash.)
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Included in
Fresh Water Studies Commons, Marine Biology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
Puget Sound Vital Sign Revision: objectives for Puget Sound recovery and protection
Since the mid-1980’s, there have been focused federal, state and local efforts to restore the Puget Sound ecosystem. Beginning in 2008 the Puget Sound Partnership (PSP) has produced Action Agendas that describe comprehensive recovery programs and, since 2011, have identified a set of Vital Signs and indicators. As of 2018, PSP identified 25 Vital Signs (VS) with 52 affiliated indicators. The PSP is now undertaking a collaborative effort to revise the VS and indicators to address known concerns and to situate them in a framework of other types of progress measures. Revised VS and indicators will characterize biophysical condition and human well being for Puget Sound, while directly assessing progress toward the program goals. The revision process was initiated in spring 2019, and will recommend revisions to the PSP Leadership Council in June 2020. Vetting of existing and new indicators is being conducted through a series of facilitated interactions with knowledgeable individuals, topical expert groups, indicator leads, stakeholder groups and technical workshops. Refinement of sampling designs associated with indicators to better address science questions is also being discussed as part of the process. A comprehensive analysis of existing and potentially new candidate VS and indicators produced in 2018 and a set of detailed conceptual ecological models developed in 2019 together provide relevant scientific underpinnings for the process. Progress check-in meetings are also held with the PSP Science Panel and policy boards, including the Leadership Council. Updated VS and indicators, along with the complementary progress measures, should help tell a robust and well-supported assessment of how the Puget Sound ecosystem “is doing”, and formulate management questions that guide the recovery planning effort.
