Towards a coherent and informative set of European Biodiversity indicators SEBI 2010 Working Group on Interlinkages - ETC/BD Working paper N°D/2011

This report is a summary of the outcomes and outputs of the SEBI 2010 Working Group on Interlinkages and provides recommendations on how to group indicators in informative subsets; how to improve their interlinkages and coherence (also including their monitoring, modelling, baselines, assessment principles, scales and critical levels); and how to fill in the gaps in their representation.
Overall, the Group concluded that considerable progress has been made towards establishing a functional set of biodiversity indicators which could enable policymakers to evaluate: whether biodiversity loss has been halted at European and national levels; levels of threat to biodiversity; the sustainable use of agriculture, forests and marine ecosystems; and the effectiveness of policy responses. It is also clear that the set’s accuracy and informative value to policymakers for underpinning their subsequent actions could be significantly improved through further development.

Prepared by: Ben ten Brink (PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, NL), Sophie Condé (from ETC/BD-MNHN, FR) and Frederik Schutyser (from EEA, DK)