Writing a BHI objectives Statement

[chesterganzk]

• What is the core objective of the Baltic Health Index project?
• What does the BHI uniquely contribute, to an already extensively studied area?
• What language/wording is best to articulate these contributions?

[eleanorecc]

Intro Draft

The Baltic Health Index is an independent, fully-transparent, scientific index which quantifies the status and trends of nine environmental benefits related to marine ecosystems around the Baltic. It is a regional application of the widely used, standard methodology of the Ocean Health Index. Based on input from scientists with expertise in each goal area, and stakeholder perspectives, the OHI framework is retailored for the BHI to represent the social-ecological system of the Baltic Sea.

The index aims to: synthesize and complement the extensive monitoring and research of the region; incrementally improve by incorporating feedback in an open and transparent process and additional data as they become available; and highlight key instances where better data coverage or scientific understanding could greatly improve management of the Baltic Sea.