TY - JOUR
T1 - A new framework for selecting environmental surrogates
AU - Lindenmayer, David
AU - Pierson, Jennifer
AU - Barton, Philip
AU - Beger, Maria
AU - Branquinho, Cristina
AU - Calhoun, Aram
AU - Caro, Tim
AU - Greig, Hamish
AU - Gross, John
AU - Heino, Jani
AU - Hunter, Malcolm
AU - Lane, Peter
AU - Longo, Catherine
AU - Martin, Kathy
AU - McDowell, William H.
AU - Mellin, Camille
AU - Salo, Hanna
AU - Tulloch, Ayesha
AU - Westgate, Martin
PY - 2015/12/15
Y1 - 2015/12/15
N2 - Surrogate concepts are used in all sub-disciplines of environmental science. However, controversy remains regarding the extent to which surrogates are useful for resolving environmental problems. Here, we argue that conflicts about the utility of surrogates (and the related concepts of indicators and proxies) often reflect context-specific differences in trade-offs between measurement accuracy and practical constraints. By examining different approaches for selecting and applying surrogates, we identify five trade-offs that correspond to key points of contention in the application of surrogates. We then present an 8-step Adaptive Surrogacy Framework that incorporates cross-disciplinary perspectives from a wide spectrum of the environmental sciences, aiming to unify surrogate concepts across disciplines and applications. Our synthesis of the science of surrogates is intended as a first step towards fully leveraging knowledge accumulated across disciplines, thus consolidating lessons learned so that they may be accessible to all those operating in different fields, yet facing similar hurdles.
AB - Surrogate concepts are used in all sub-disciplines of environmental science. However, controversy remains regarding the extent to which surrogates are useful for resolving environmental problems. Here, we argue that conflicts about the utility of surrogates (and the related concepts of indicators and proxies) often reflect context-specific differences in trade-offs between measurement accuracy and practical constraints. By examining different approaches for selecting and applying surrogates, we identify five trade-offs that correspond to key points of contention in the application of surrogates. We then present an 8-step Adaptive Surrogacy Framework that incorporates cross-disciplinary perspectives from a wide spectrum of the environmental sciences, aiming to unify surrogate concepts across disciplines and applications. Our synthesis of the science of surrogates is intended as a first step towards fully leveraging knowledge accumulated across disciplines, thus consolidating lessons learned so that they may be accessible to all those operating in different fields, yet facing similar hurdles.
KW - Adaptive surrogacy framework
KW - Decision-making
KW - Environmental management
KW - Indicators
KW - Proxies
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84943581468&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.08.056
DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.08.056
M3 - Article (Academic Journal)
C2 - 26298409
AN - SCOPUS:84943581468
SN - 0048-9697
VL - 538
SP - 1029
EP - 1038
JO - Science of The Total Environment
JF - Science of The Total Environment
ER -