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Implementing the Biological Condition Gradient Framework for Management of Estuaries and Coasts
Citation:
Cicchetti, G., M. Pelletier, M. Pryor, S. Jackson, P. Bradley, S. Davies, C. Deacutis, K. Rocha, Debbie Santavy, AND E. Shumchenia. Implementing the Biological Condition Gradient Framework for Management of Estuaries and Coasts. U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-15/287, 2017.
Impact/Purpose:
This report adapts the U.S. EPA Office of Water’s Biological Condition Gradient (BCG) approach (developed for freshwater streams) for application to larger and more complex estuarine and coastal systems. The BCG described here can be used to define current biological conditions for attainment of Clean Water Act goals, to set non-regulatory goals and specific targets for a desired biological condition, and to track environmental progress towards achieving targets and goals. This document provides guidance to state, regional, and local management groups working on these issues in estuarine and coastal settings.
Description:
The Biological Condition Gradient (BCG) is an scientific approach to consistent bioassessment that was developed by the U.S. EPA’s Office of Water (Office of Science and Technology) and partners. This report describes implementation of the BCG framework for estuaries and coasts as a proposed toolbox of logical actions to assist estuarine and coastal scientists and managers as they plan and execute environmental management to include bioassessment and the BCG. Earlier actions guide scientists and management groups through identifying stakeholders, problems, goals, and relevant biological indicators. This establishes the direction and need for a BCG model that may be taken to the degree of rigor best suited for particular management needs. An early qualitative BCG can be used to determine reference condition, develop preliminary bioassessments and stressor assessments, refine stakeholder visions, improve narrative designated use categories, set broad goals, inform non-regulatory actions, and communicate condition so as to motivate the public. In the final set of actions a rigorous quantitative BCG developed through expert consensus at hosted workshops accomplishes all this for higher levels of application, and can support quantitative designated use thresholds, other regulatory and stressor-response thresholds, a variety of non-regulatory actions, and more effective monitoring for effectiveness of these management actions. The framework is flexible, and coastal/estuarine managers can choose to develop any of the actions in any order that would best meet their requirements.