BoFEP Project on Ocean Health Index
BoFEP has received funding though the The National Conservation Plan Gulf of Maine Funding from Environment Canada to complete BoFEP’s Ocean Health Index (OHI) project for the Southwestern Bay of Fundy Marine Resources Planning Area (MRPA), a key part of the Gulf of Maine.
The OHI is a framework that combines environmental and socio-economic indicators to assess the health of oceans and report on how sustainably coastal regions are using their oceans. First used at the global level, the OHI has been modified for the assessment of smaller coastal areas using finer, more locally relevant data. Earlier work by BoFEP determined the OHI offered the “best” model for a Bay of Fundy environmental health index and that the MRPA should be used as a test case. In 2013-2014, BoFEP collected much of the data needed to calculate an OHI score for the MRPA. The main purpose of the proposed project is to consult with and hire technical experts so this data can now be used in an OHI computer “toolbox” to calculate an OHI score for the MRPA.
Ultimately, if this test case is successful, then there would be good reason to expand upon this work and apply the OHI to the entire Gulf of Maine. Doing so would help people answer the question, “How healthy is the Gulf of Maine?” Knowing and communicating this will help promote protection of the Gulf’s ecological integrity, which in turn will enhance the social and economic well-being of its coastal communities. The project will be completed at the end of March 2016.
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