Prepared by: Kaylee P. Smit, Anthony T.F. Bernard & Kerry J. Sink
Objective – This technical brief provides an outcome-based synthesis of current research on ecological indicators for assessing the condition of marine ecosystems. It draws primarily from the review by Smit et al. (2021), which consolidated global approaches to indicator selection, and builds on subsequent work in South Africa that tested the performance of potential indicators from rocky reef ecosystems (Smit et al. 2023). The brief highlights the importance of defining ecological condition, explains the framework and types of indicators to assess condition and demonstrates the use of benthic (invertebrates growing on the reef)- and fish-based indicators as a case study
