A coastal assessment program cannot simply draw from a few individuals; it takes contributions from an entire community and the creation of a shared vision. Keeping a balance among research, monitoring, and management is especially important and includes the dynamics of human interactions and strong communication between stakeholders and the broader community.

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For every environmental campaign, a strong leader is needed for guidance and motivation. There have been a series of leaders or "champions" in the history of the world who have changed life on this planet. All of these leaders, no matter what area their specialty, have contained the following traits: knowledge of their field; passion for what they do; and an ability to successfully communicate their messages not only to their colleagues, but also to the broader community.

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This chapter discusses how to create the physical communication products needed to broadcast the messages within a communication strategy (see Chapter 4). To determine the kind of product needed, several different elements should be considered, including the background of the audience, the size of the audience, and the amount of time available to produce the product. The products discussed are conceptual diagrams, newsletters, presentations, websites, posters, and books.

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Drawing from the last chapter and its emphasis on the importance of communication, this chapter discusses ways to broadcast a message internally within a coastal assessment program and externally to the general public. Throughout the chapter, the steps involved in broadcasting the message (such as determining target audience, ways in which to relay the message, and how to create an appropriate timeline) will be explained in detail.

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Chapter 4 discussed how selecting an appropriate communication product can affect an audience and persuade opinions. This chapter discusses how using another tool, an indicator (Figure 5.1), not only can persuade opinions, but also can be used to evaluate the health of an ecosystem.

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This chapter continues the discussion of ecological indicators but with the specific application of producing ecological report cards. It explains the reasons for producing report cards, the steps to produce indicators based on ecological thresholds, and the process of combining indicators into overarching indices. Ecological report cards, like the indicators that they are based on, are one of the most important products for directing data collection and analysis.

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This chapter provides an overview of the process of developing, producing, and releasing an ecological forecast, which is supported by statistical analysis and models that underpin forecasts (see Chapters 8 and 9). Areas discussed in this chapter include why you may consider conducting ecological forecasting, some of the essential elements of a forecasting program, and some of the challenges you may face.

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One of the most important goals of a coastal assessment program is to increase the knowledge of individuals and agencies who make management decisions. Information must be presented in an easy-to-understand format and supported by quantitative analyses. Quantitative analyses often involve applying statistical techniques that are used to visualize, describe, and model data.

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Models can act as an interface among scientists, managers, and the public to build a shared understanding of the status and trends of coastal resources (Figure 9.1). Environmental models can be an effective way of synthesizing large quantities of environmental data. These models can assume a variety of forms and be used to address many different types of research questions.

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Vast areas of the globe's coastal zone have experienced significant declines in ecosystem health. Deteriorating water quality, loss and alteration of vital habitats, and reduced populations of fish and shellfish are some of the major changes recorded. Regardless of the differences between cultures, climate regions, and population pressures, integrated management and assessment is required to solve coastal environmental problems.

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