A Policy Perspective Aligning indicators to strategies and targets

1. A Policy PerspectiveAligning indicators to strategies and targets Dr Sarah Webster Head of UK Biodiversity Policy Unit

2. UK has a range of commitments… • Biodiversity policy has multiple objectives at multiple scales: • International; Convention on Biological Diversity’s Strategic Plan for Biodiversity and the Aichi targets • European: EU Biodiversity Strategy • National: UK Biodiversity Framework and Country Strategies • Local: For various local initiatives • All of which contribute towards our aim to Halt the Loss of Biodiversity by 2020

3. At a range of scales… • … Indicators contribute to reporting against these targets

4. Indicators are useful because… • They are a communication tool: • To summarise complex information • To be accessible to non-specialists • Part of the evidence to show progress towards targets at varying scales • They are/should be: • Outcome focused • Easy to understand • Robust, reliable, relevant

5. Reporting at the international scale… • 5th National Report to CBD submitted in April 2014 • An important source of information for a mid-term review of progress towards 2020 targets • Parties were encouraged to emphasize the use of indicators in their reports

6. How indicators helped… • 25 UK Indicators have been mapped to the 5 Strategic Goals of the CBD • Enabled more streamlined reporting

7. A country strategy example… • Country strategies translate CBD agreement and commitment into country level action • Biodiversity 2020 is the strategy for England’s wildlife and ecosystem services • Included commitment to “develop and publish a set of indicators to assess delivery of the strategy”

8. England level indicators are… • Limited in number so that they are easily understood • Easy to use • Cost effective • Outcome focussed • Aligned with UK, European and Global Frameworks – so we can ‘scale-up’ reporting

9. An example of local use… • In England we have 12 government funded Nature Improvement Areas • We have a framework of core, optional and local indicators • Provides both national picture and bottom-up

10. Using indicators for reporting… • Proxies may be needed if direct measures are unavailable • Relatively simple indicators are easier to communicate and have more impact • Proliferation of indicators is not helpful • To reflect on policy intervention we need to report over a relatively short time period

11. We need three key things… • Confidence in the indicator – that it is robust, reliable and accurate • We need to understand what an indicator is telling us – and what a suite of indicators together tells us • Ideally we need to understand causality

12. A final word… • To date, a headline suite of indicators, easily understood and communicated to all, has proved to be a robust model and the most effective solution for communicating such a difficult subject to such a wide audience. • The UK approach to biodiversity indicators has been well received internationally and has helped to place the UK at the forefront of international work on this subject. • We should be proud of what we have already achieved as we look forwards!

13. Thank you sarah.webster@defra.gsi.gov.uk