Overview of integrative tools and methods in assessing ecological integrity in estuarine and coastal systems worldwide

Borja, Ángel; Bricker, Suzanne B.; Dauer, Daniel M.; Demetriades, N. T.; Ferreira, J.G.; Forbes, Anthony T.; Hutchings, Pat; Jia, Xiaoping; Kenchington, Richard; Marques, João Carlos; Zhu, Cheng

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2008.07.005

Cited by 431 publications

(167 citation statements)

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“…In recent years, increasing pressures and impacts within European estuaries have led to the approval of a series of laws which focus on water management, the WFD being the most important (see details in Borja, 2005 andBorja et al, 2008a). This Directive emphasizes the increasing need to protect European estuarine and lagoonal ecosystems and to move toward marine integrative management.…”

Section: Europementioning

confidence: 99%

“…To manage these pressures and impacts on transitional envir onments, legislative instruments approved worldwide (i.e., Clean Water Act, in USA, or the Water Framework Directive (WFD), in Europe) address the need to assess their ecological or environmental status (see Borja et al (2008a) for an overview). The concept of environmental or ecological status takes into account the structure, function, and processes of mar ine ecosystems bringing together natural physical, chemical, physiographic, geographic, and climatic factors, and integrates these conditions with the anthropogenic impacts and human activities in the area concerned (Borja et al, 2009b).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…As commented in Borja et al (2008a), the above concept defines quality in an integrative way, by using several biological parameters (from phytoplankton to mammals) together with physico-chemical and pollution elements. Rogers et al (2007) reviewed the selection of the ecosystem components, adding to the above-mentioned structural components other ecosystem attributes such as food web dynamics, species diversity, and the distribution of life histories, which are not direct biological properties but functions of the entire ecosystem.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Finally, though successful, the advances made in recent times in assessing estuarine and lagoonal quality were probably only a first step and many challenges remain to be addressed in the future, including the development of reliable methods to inte grate multiple physico-chemical and biological elements into a single evaluation of estuarine system condition (Borja et al, 2008a(Borja et al, , 2009a. This integration should be made by using differ ent elements, different media, and results from different locations within the same estuarine water body.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…The challenge is not only to integrate indicators for single ecosystem elements, but also to include measures of ecosystem structure, function, and processes. Hence, the ecological integrity of an estuary or a lagoon should be evaluated using all information available, including as many biological ecosystem elements as is reason able, and using an ecosystem-based assessment approach (Borja et al, 2008a. Hence, this chapter focuses on this challen ging issue, as an overview of the current situation worldwide.…”

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Classifying Ecological Quality and Integrity of Estuaries

Borja¹,

Basset²,

Bricker³

et al. 2011

Treatise on Estuarine and Coastal Science

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There is an increasing need in assessing ecological quality and integrity of estuaries and lagoons. This chapter shows the most recent efforts in assessing individual biological elements (from phytoplankton to fishes), together with the integrative tools developed in different geographical areas worldwide. However, reducing complex information from multiple ecosystem elements to a single color or value is a substantial challenge to marine scientists, and requires the integration of different disciplines (chemists, engineers, biologists, ecologists, physics, managers, etc.), to reach agreement on the final assignment of ecological status. Hence, in the near future, emphasis needs to be directed at understanding the complexities of estuarine system functioning rather than simplifying and scaling down the system into smaller components. Provided for non-commercial research and educational use.Not for reproduction, distribution or commercial use.This chapter was originally published in Treatise on Estuarine and Coastal Science, published by Elsevier, and the attached copy is provided by Elsevier for the author's benefit and for the benefit of the author's institution, for noncommercial research and educational use including without limitation use in instruction at your institution, sending it to specific colleagues who you know, and providing a copy to your institution's administrator.All other uses, reproduction and distribution, including without limitation commercial reprints, selling or licensing copies or access, or posting on open internet sites, your personal or institution's website or repository, are prohibited.For exceptions, permission may be sought for such use through Elsevier's permissions site at: Author's personal copy AbstractThere is an increasing need in assessing ecological quality and integrity of estuaries and lagoons. This chapter shows the most recent efforts in assessing individual biological elements (from phytoplankton to fishes), together with the integrative tools developed in different geographical areas worldwide. However, reducing complex information from multiple ecosystem elements to a single color or value is a substantial challenge to marine scientists, and requires the integration of different disciplines (chemists, engineers, biologists, ecologists, physics, managers, etc.), to reach agreement on the final assignment of ecological status. Hence, in the near future, emphasis needs to be directed at understanding the complexities of estuarine system functioning rather than simplifying and scaling down the system into smaller components.

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Section: Europementioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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