Regional Economic Impacts
Background
Social indicators are quantitative measures that describe the well-being of individuals or communities and are used worldwide to describe social phenomena over time. Indexes combine variables of interest and are used to evaluate well-being in terms of social, economic, and psychological welfare by both government and non-governmental agencies. Some examples include Human Development Index and Social Vulnerability Index.
Applications
These indicators can add to the social impact assessment of proposed Fisheries Management Plans on fishing communities and assist in understanding long-term changes to coastal economies as a result of coastal hazards. Further, these indicators may augment the development of an ecosystem based fishery management plan or marine spatial plan when linked to other indicators and provide the basis for evaluating sustainable coastal communities.
