What is a core metric?
A metric was identified for every outcome associated with a project type, but measurement of metrics that are weakly linked to a project is unlikely to show a significant change. Therefore, only metrics for outcomes that are strongly linked (likely to show a significant change) to each project type are included in the identification of core metrics.
For metrics to be considered core metrics, they need to be common across project types. Core metrics are metrics that are strongly linked to at least half of the project types in a category.
From the full list of socioeconomic metrics, we identified core metrics for both project and program scales. Similar to NRDA’s core parameters1 for measuring biophysical and ecological outcomes, core metrics are being identified in order to provide a short list of metrics that can be used across projects to allow for consistency, comparison, and rolling up results. Metrics that are not fully established or for which required data are not readily available, called "R&D" metrics, are not shown here but are included in the full metrics list.
Core Metrics – Project Scale
There are two core metrics that are applicable across all project types and three core metrics applicable across all project categories (Table 1). There are additional core metrics applicable within each project category (Table 1).
Table 1: Core project-scale metrics. Numbers in the right-hand columns are the number of project types within each category strongly linked to the metric. Color indicates that the metric is strongly linked to at least half of the project types within the category and is considered a core metric for that project category.
| Outcome | Metric | Habitat Resortation (7 project types) |
Oyster Restoration (6 project types) |
Recreational Enhancement (3 project types) |
Water Quality Improvement (7 project types) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core metrics common across all categories and project types | |||||
| Economic activity: Restoration/intervention | Number of restoration jobs supported by project | 7 | 6 | 3 | 7 |
| Economic activity: Restoration/intervention | Restoration expenditures by project | 7 | 6 | 3 | 7 |
| Economic activity: Recreation and tourism | Change in recreational activity expenditures associated with project site visitation | 5 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Human health: Mental health & psychological well-being | Change in cognitive function | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Human health: Mental health & psychological well-being | Change in subjective well-being | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Additional core metrics for specific project categories | |||||
| Cultural values: Knowledge | Education-related knowledge: Number of people with additional knowledge of habitat effects and other project outcomes | 6 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Cultural values: Knowledge | Awareness: Number of people with additional knowledge of habitat effects and other project outcomes based on project site | 6 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Cultural values: Other | Project identified cultural value | 5 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
| Economic activity: Recreation and tourism | Number of jobs supported through recreational fishing at project site | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Economic activity: Recreation and tourism | Change in recreational fishing expenditures associated with project site visitation | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Human health: Food security for communities | Proportion of surveyed harvesters who say that food caught/ harvested at the site is important for feeding their household | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| Property protection | Amount of property adjacent to shoreline with reduced erosion after project | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Property value | Change in property value across affected properties. | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Core Metrics – Program Scale
One program-scale metric related to economic activity associated with the project itself was identified as a core metric across all project types and categories (Table 2). There are additional core metrics applicable within each project category. Ideally, these programmatic measures would be combined with those rolled-up from the individual projects.
Table 2: Core program-scale metrics. Numbers in the right-hand columns are the number of project types within each category strongly linked to the metric. Color indicates that the metric is strongly linked to at least half of the project types within the category and is considered a core metric for that project category.
| Outcome | Metric | Habitat Resortation (7 project types) |
Oyster Restoration (6 project types) |
Recreational Enhancement (3 project types) |
Water Quality Improvement (7 project types) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core metrics common across all categories and project types | |||||
| Economic activity: Restoration/intervention | Change in economic activity from restoration spending | 7 | 6 | 3 | 7 |
| Additional core metrics for specific project categories | |||||
| Cultural values: Knowledge | Awareness: Number of people with additional knowledge of habitat effects and other project outcomes on broader scale | 6 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Cultural values: Other | Program-identified cultural value | 5 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
| Economic activity: Recreation and tourism | Change in economic activity from recreational fishing | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Economic activity: Finfish/shellfish harvest | Change in economic activity from project-associated commercial fish harvest | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
1. NRDA Monitoring and Adaptive Management Manual, page B-1.