What is a report card?

In a world filled with knowledge, how can you find a way to share ecological knowledge among different groups of people? Literature? Books? Newspapers? How about report cards? Ecological report cards are important tool for integrating diverse data types into simple scores that can be communicated to decision-makers and the general public.

“Think like a wise man but communicate in the language of the people”, says poet, William Butler Yeats.

This is exactly why we need to produce a report card. It is a convenient way to bring scientists, policy makers, managers, and the public together. Since good environmental quality in an area is very dependent on the local culture, managers often need to listen to what people are saying about the watershed, what they value, and what their stories are.

Managers and environmental groups have different angles and basing communication on science, instead of political agenda, can make an unbiased framework for managers. Therefore, much of the scientific data used to generate the Report Card is transformed so that it is visually compelling and easily understood. By providing timely and relevant feedback, report cards can have the added benefit of accelerating management and community response. For example, the governor of Maryland wants credit for the work that has been done to improve the Chesapeake Bay. Looking at the Chesapeake Bay report card, we see that it falls from C- to D+ in 2012, which reflects poorly on him and doesn’t bode well for future leaders supporting cleanup efforts. This catalyzes improvements in ecosystem health by guiding restoration efforts and creating a targeting scheme for resource allocation.

How are indicators in report cards chosen?

The primary question of report cards is which indicators we should select and how many indicators we should have. Although simplistic indices may lack relevant parameters, too many indices may be very complex. Therefore, we must balance these two aspects and make an adjustment between them. There are some tips to keep in mind: How do we measure the economic health? Do the indicators conflict with each other? How do we decide what the measures are and how they will reflect the goals of certain members of the team? Will they be objective?

For example, how do we evaluate the fisheries of Maryland? According to the EcoCheck Team Leader Ms. Caroline Wicks, three main species should be included: striped bass, blue crab and oysters. Clearly, there are other fisheries that exist within the state of Maryland, but these three are significant species relevant to the local economy, which will indicate the overall health of the ecosystem. When it comes to collecting these data, blue crabs are easy, because a winter dredge survey has been in place for a while. For the striped bass, the data Maryland collects are combined with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science main stem dredge/trawling survey. Oysters have been the hardest one, since there are only fragments and random data to indicate their abundance.

Scales of report cards

Report cards can be produced at any geographic scale. The scale of report cards depends on factors such as purpose and data availability. For example, the Mississippi report card covers 40% of the contiguous US. According to Dr. Heath Kelsey, for the Mississippi report card, six major goals were created: cleaning the water supply, flood control, supporting the economy, healthy ecosystems, transportation, and recreation. While the overall goals are the same for the entire Mississippi River basin, the ways to achieve them will be different among sub-basins in the region.

Effectiveness of report cards

How can we maximize the effectiveness of a report card? By making sure that the report card is available to all stakeholders and that data is accurately and clearly displayed. Since the stakeholders want to see the results, but might not understand some data and information, the report card must provide figures which are easily understood. We must also ensure that the report card is not driven by politics, but data and science. Because of their accessibility, report cards can generate media attention and highlight issues of concern. Moreover, using report cards in teaching and education is an emerging tool, which can spread the message throughout the community.

In summary, report cards are a useful tool for spreading messages and encouraging community involvement. Development of a high-quality report card is an ongoing goal. Every step, from drawing conceptual diagrams, choosing indicators, collection of data, data analysis and interpretation, and communication, is critical and can be improved by continued collaboration between scientists, stakeholders and policymakers.

References

1.Longstaff BJ, Carruthers TJB, Dennison WC, Lookingbill TR, Hawkey JM, Thomas JE, Wicks EC, Woerner JL (2010) Integrating and Applying Science: A practical handbook for effective coastal ecosystem assessment. IAN Press, Cambridge,MD. Chapter5: Ecological indicators.

2.Longstaff BJ, Carruthers TJB, Dennison WC, Lookingbill TR, Hawkey JM, Thomas JE, Wicks EC, Woerner JL (2010) Integrating and Applying Science: A practical handbook for effective coastal ecosystem assessment. IAN Press, Cambridge, MD.Chapter 6: Ecological report cards.

Authors

Miaohua Mao, Kristen Lycett and Long Jiang