Estuary prioritisation
Selecting estuaries for monitoring should be as objective as
possible, to ensure that systems that are in need of monitoring,
based on the DWS management mandate, are prioritised at a
national level. The primary objective of the NESMP, being the
collection of long-term data to inform future management decisions,
should always be the focus of such a prioritisation effort.
Six criteria (Table 1) were used to determine priority estuaries
through a ranking system that is based on the application of a
numerical equation. The overall priority (P) for the estuary is
calculated using the following formula:
P = A(K + D + E + F) (1)
where:
K = (B + 2C/3) (2)
Practicality (A) is the main driver for the programme, and
thus plays a key role as a common multiplier of the sum of all
of the components (ecological, socio-economic and level of
available data) of the equation. This value is multiplied with
functions of the ecological components (K) and added to the socio-economic importance (D), which is added as a separate
value to the ecological components (K) as it is seen as an
independent factor, based on social and associated development
pressure. Through this a balance of priority is achieved between
the ecological components and socio-economic importance,
thus addressing sustainability in a broad context.