Coastal Zone Management Act: Developing a Framework for Identifying Performance Indicators

摘要

The objective of this Heinz Center study was to develop a framework for identifying indicators to assist NOAA's National Ocean Service in its task of establishing a national performance measurement system for the nations coasts. Designing such a measurement system is complex. The success of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) lies in the broad goals and objectives of the Act and the opportunity it affords coastal states to develop individualized programs that address their own specific needs. Thus, measuring the effectiveness of the CZMA at the national level is challenging. The Heinz Center assembled a panel of experts with a wide range of background and experience in the management of our coasts. As in all Center studies, panel members were drawn from industry, environmental organizations, government, and academia. The panel, working with Heinz Center staff, developed a framework for identifying performance indicators, rather than choosing a set of specific indicators. The framework consists of six focus areas based on the objectives of the CZMA : coastal ecosystems and populations, coastal water quality, public access, coastal hazards, coastal community development, and coastal-dependent uses. Each focus area is further divided into three or four dimensions describing the types of indicators that need to be measured. This framework can be used to organize information at the national level, but it also provides the flexibility for state decision makers to shape a performance measurement system to assess their own programs effectiveness.