Ecosystem indicators are a well-established method for tracking ecosystem conditions and trends with the purpose of informing ecosystem-based management. The selection of indicators is a key step in the management process; however, because 1) selection can be inherently subjective 2) researchers can be entrenched in the ecosystem components they routinely measure, and 3) some voices may be marginalized in a group setting, the selection, prioritization, and consensus processes can be challenging. To overcome these issues, an indicator selection process was developed herein that incorporated expert opinion both qualitatively and quantitatively. The decision matrix asked experts to provide weighted values for each selection criterion and a score of how well each potential indicator fit each criterion. The score of how well the indicators fit the criterion was multiplied by the weight given to that criterion, then summed for all criteria, resulting in an overall score of how well a potential indicator fit the criteria. The indicator scores were then ranked using all experts’ scores to develop a single best-fit list of indicators. The approach was pilot-tested to select indicators for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS), creating a prioritized list of indicators that best reflected the condition of the FKNMS resources, ecosystem services, and pressures. Specifically, 56 indicators were found to best model the status and trends associated with 16 standard questions regarding condition of national marine sanctuaries. This process is directly transferable to other national marine sanctuaries, and also identifies data gaps. The criteria can be modified to make the selection process applicable to a wide range of ecosystem-based management applications in both marine and terrestrial ecosystems. This method provides a means of selecting indicators that minimizes the effects of group dynamics on consensus.

生态系统指标是一种完善的跟踪生态系统状况和趋势的方法，旨在告知基于生态系统的管理。指标的选择是管理过程中的关键步骤；但是，因为1）选择可能具有内在的主观性2）研究人员可能会固定在他们常规测量的生态系统组件中，并且3）在小组环境中某些声音可能会被边缘化，因此选择，优先级划分和共识过程可能具有挑战性。为了克服这些问题，本文开发了指标选择过程，该指标选择过程定性地和定量地结合了专家意见。决策矩阵要求专家提供每个选择标准的加权值，以及每个潜在指标与每个标准的匹配程度的分数。指标符合标准的程度得分乘以该指标的权重，然后对所有标准求和，得出潜在指标符合标准的总体得分。然后，使用所有专家的分数对指标分数进行排名，以制定一个最适合的指标列表。该方法经过了试点测试，以选择佛罗里达礁岛国家海洋保护区（FKNMS）的指标，从而创建了优先排序的指标列表，这些列表最能反映FKNMS资源，生态系统服务和压力的状况。具体而言，发现了56个指标，以最佳地模拟与有关国家海洋保护区状况的16个标准问题相关的状况和趋势。此过程可直接转移到其他国家海洋保护区，并确定数据缺口。可以修改标准，使选择过程适用于海洋和陆地生态系统中基于生态系统的广泛管理应用。这种方法提供了一种选择指标的方法，该方法可以最大程度地减少群体动态对共识的影响。