Scorecard Disclaimer
For the NAMPAN pilot project, ten marine protected areas (MPAs) representing a diverse array of biogeographical settings along the Baja to Bering Sea (B2B) coast were nominated by MPA agencies in the three countries as places in which to develop and test the scorecard concept. As a proof of concept, the B2B pilot project demonstrated the feasibility of this approach in a wide variety of MPAs within all three CEC countries.
The goal of the pilot project was to develop an easy yet powerful tool for MPA managers to share evidence-based ecological information through scorecards that refine monitoring information into concise, easily understood, ecosystem health assessments. This pilot allowed distilling large amounts of complex technical and traditional/local ecological knowledge about MPA conditions into a common understanding for a few selected MPAs in the Bering Sea to Baja California (B2B) region.
The scorecards do not replace well-designed, sustained monitoring programs and reporting used by the MPA agencies themselves that should continue to be relied upon for agency-approved reporting on ecosystem condition and trends. Instead, the scorecards can serve as a tool to identify gaps in knowledge, to bridge gaps between technical/scientific communities and the public-at-large, and to allow comparisons across a broad region.
