Restoring and expanding coastal and estuarine habitat leads to increases in fish populations, which have a positive impact on the communities and the industries that depend on thriving and sustainable fisheries. This report makes a powerful case that investing in our nation’s coastlines and estuaries leads to healthy habitat and strong fisheries, which has a positive impact on the businesses and industries, both recreational and commercial, that need healthy fisheries to survive and thrive.

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To achieve desired environmental outcomes, environmental condition and trends need to be rigorously measured and communicated to resource managers, scientists, and a broader general audience. However, there is often a disconnect between responsive ecosystem monitoring and decision making for strategic long-term management. This project demonstrates how historical monitoring data can be synthesized and used for future planning and decision making, thereby closing the management feedback cycle.

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The aim of this report card is to provide a transparent, timely, and geographically detailed assessment of 2011 Coastal Bays health. Coastal Bays health is defined as the progress of four water quality indicators (total nitrogen, total phoshorus, Chlorophyll a, dissolved oxygen) and two biotic indicators (seagrass, hard clams) toward scientifically derived ecological thresholds or goals.

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The burden of global, regional, and project reporting has been a longstanding concern of Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs), particularly on Smaller Island States (SIS). This newsletter uses an environmental case study to showcase how a simple, targeted, and strategic monitoring and reporting framework can facilitate streamlined reporting by allowing data and information to be used for multiple reporting requirements.

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The Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, has partnered with IAN and Harwell Gentile & Associates, LC, to develop a vision for a report card on the health of the Gulf of Mexico. The report card will be a graphical representation of the environmental condition of the Gulf that is scientifically based, widely accessible, and readily understandable by policy-makers, stakeholders, scientists, and, most importantly, the general public.

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Darwin Harbour is globally significant as a tropical, macrotidal, monsoonal harbour that is generally in very good condition. There are major development proposals for Darwin Harbour, including significant plans for population growth, industrial expansion and resource processing infrastructure, and consequent increases in shipping and dredging. These developments pose risks for the natural, cultural, aesthetic and recreational values of the Harbour, which need to be managed.

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The Great Barrier Reef is the largest and best-known coral reef ecosystem in the world. This first report card provides an estimate of the status of the key indicators for the period preceding 2009. It is based on historical data and trends and takes into account the influence of a variable climate from year to year. This serves as a baseline that will be used as a point of comparison to measure progress towards Reef Plan goals and targets.

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This document contains report card summaries for the Cape York, Wet Tropics, Burdekin, Mackay-Whitsunday, Fitzroy, and Burnett-Mary regions. Each section details the region profile, and key findings, as well as summarizing the report card results for land practices, catchment indicators and loads, and the marine parameters; water quality, seagrass, and corals. It also describes positive actions in the regions to improve ecosystem health.

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The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area is renowned internationally for its ecological importance and beauty. However, despite it being one of the best managed coral reefs in the world there is a very real risk of damage to the reef from climate change. This technical document details all aspects of the report card process. It includes sections on management, methods, and detailed results for all regions.

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Habitats within Antietam National Battlefield were defined as being either managed for natural resource values or managed for agricultural values. A habitat map was created and desired/degraded conditions were defined for each habitat. Metrics were then assigned to these habitat types, compared to established thresholds, leading to the condition assessment of each habitat. Habitats in Antietam National Battlefield are in good condition overall.

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