Quantifying targets for rehabilitating degraded areas of the Great Lakes

/ One attempt to quantify targets for rehabilitating degraded aquatic ecosystems has been through a United States-Canada program to develop and implement comprehensive remedial action plans (RAPs) to restore beneficial uses in 42 Great Lakes Areas of Concern. The International Joint Commission has facilitated agreement on listing/delisting guidelines for determining when use impairments exist in areas of concern and when uses have been restored, while federal/state/provincial governments and local stakeholders have provided leadership in establishing quantitative targets for restoring uses and in determining how to achieve them. The listing/delisting guidelines have been instrumental in helping reach agreement on problem definition (lack of agreement on problem definition has historically been used as a reason to delay action) and reaching agreement on quantitative targets for restoring uses. Quantitative, ecosystem-based targets are being used to drive the RAP process, help organizations pursue a common mission of restoring uses, and help achieve greater accountability. As a priority, the target-setting process must also recognize the importance of establishing both short- and long-term milestones in order to measure and celebrate incremental progress in restoring uses.KEY WORDS: Use impairments; Restoring uses; Quantitative targets