Using Social, Economic, and Cultural Indicators in Policy, Planning, and Operations

Project Abstract:
Natural resource managers need to plan and manage for a variety of resource values to achieve social, economic, and environmental objectives. They need science-based and community-defined criteria and indicators and monitoring systems in order to monitor, evaluate, and mitigate the effects of their practices on resource values. They also need to monitor their progress against well-defined and easily measurable performance criteria and indicators. One of the activities in this project is to publish two extension notes on indicators. These were drafted during the previous fiscal year. The first extension note was on social and cultural indicators used in forest certification, and the second on community resiliency indicators for forest-dependent communities. Another activity under this project is drafting an extension note on developing and using indicators to monitor the conservation of cultural heritage resources in BC. This extension note will be developed in partnership with MFR’s Forest and Range Evaluation Program (FREP).

There continues to be a lack of consistency between the different criteria and indicators (C&I) initiatives being used in BC and in Canada. As well, the process of designing criteria and indicators will gain greater legitimacy if there is greater participation by affected groups. To create legitimacy and trust, a feedback system needs to be designed so that relevant and scientifically sound criteria and indicators are being used for measuring progress towards SFM. An activity under this project involves coordinating the Common Ground for Criteria and Indicators (CGI) initiative (http://www.forrex.org/bcci), and organizing a workshop of the initiative’s partners. This activity builds on the work of the CGI initiative in identifying and harmonizing social, economic, and cultural indicators that can be used in planning, operations, and policy.

An activity under this project involves designing and identifying criteria & indicators to evaluate the impacts of the Socio-economics Extension Program and other FORREX extension programs.

For further information on this project, please contact Ajit.Krishnaswamy@forrex.org.