Metric Selection for Ecosystem Restoration
Abstract
This technical note is designed to help ecosystem restoration planners and project managers identify the best metrics to evaluate and select the recommended restoration plan, monitor and assess progress toward achieving project objectives, and, if necessary, inform adaptive management decisions. Performance metrics, or measurable system components used to estimate and track the state of critical aspects of the project, are often the basis for project decision making and furthering scientific understanding. As such, ecosystem restoration planners should take time to carefully select an appropriate and effective metric set. To help planners with this task, this technical note accomplishes the following: 1. Reviews current USACE ecosystem restoration planning and monitoring policy, regulations and guidelines. 2. Explains the importance of metric selection and its roles during planning and post-construction monitoring and assessment. 3. Reviews common options for identifying and selecting metrics including conceptual modeling, historical precedence, and best professional judgment. 4. Presents two metric evaluation methods, screening and multi-criteria decision analysis. 5. Discusses metric application to ecosystem restoration project planning and monitoring. This technical note is expected to assist ecosystem restoration practitioners in selecting and applying metrics that can be used to further scientific understanding, resolve hypotheses, and evaluate expected and/or realized project impacts.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA583156
Entities
People
- Connie Lu
- Igor Linkov
- John T. Vogel
- Kelsie Baker
- Kyle Mckay
- Matteo Convertino
Organizations
- United States Army Corps of Engineers