Field Testing the Draft Canadian Biodiversity Index: A REPORT ON APPLYING REAL ECOSYSTEM DATA TO THE CBI

This report details the proof of concept testing (POCT) of the Canadian Biodiversity Index (CBI), a tool designed to consistently assess and convey biodiversity status and trends across Canada. The testing applied the CBI framework to two distinct ecounits—Netley-Libau Marsh in Manitoba and Banks Island in the Northwest Territories—to evaluate the index's methodology, the effectiveness of its normalized scoring scale, and the challenges of data availability.

• The CBI uses a normalized 0-100 scale to allow indicators measuring different biological or environmental factors to be compared consistently across different ecounits.
• Data availability and quality were identified as the most significant challenges during testing, with many datasets lacking the historical depth required to establish meaningful long-term trends.
• The original 'Landscape and Global Factors' theme (Theme 3) proved difficult to implement due to scale inconsistencies and was recommended to be renamed 'External Influences' to better capture pressures outside the ecounit.
• The 'weakest-link' scoring method, where the lowest-scoring indicator determines the theme and ecounit score, may overemphasize a single critical issue and fail to represent the overall state of biodiversity.
• Testing suggested that calculating the overall ecounit score as an average of the four theme scores provides a more balanced and differentiated representation of biodiversity than the lowest-scoring approach.
• The use of 20-point score ranges can mask gradual trends; the report suggests rounding scores to the nearest 5 or 10 to provide a finer scale for monitoring changes over time.
• The CBI can serve as a framework for designing future monitoring programs by identifying key indicators and encouraging the use of centralized data management systems.
• Determining a Desired Future State (DFS) for indicators is a highly subjective and challenging process that requires deep local expertise and stakeholder consultation.

APA

Grosshans, R., Murray, C., Pintér, L., Smith, R., & Venema, H. (2006). Field Testing the Draft Canadian Biodiversity Index: A REPORT ON APPLYING REAL ECOSYSTEM DATA TO THE CBI. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/measure_cbi.pdf

Chicago

Grosshans, Richard, Carol Murray, László Pintér, Risa Smith, and Henry Venema. Field Testing the Draft Canadian Biodiversity Index: A REPORT ON APPLYING REAL ECOSYSTEM DATA TO THE CBI. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2006. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/measure_cbi.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Grosshans |first1=Richard |last2=Murray |first2=Carol |last3=Pintér |first3=László |last4=Smith |first4=Risa |last5=Venema |first5=Henry |title=Field Testing the Draft Canadian Biodiversity Index: A REPORT ON APPLYING REAL ECOSYSTEM DATA TO THE CBI |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=5 July 2006 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/measure_cbi.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{grosshans2006field, author = {Grosshans, Richard and Murray, Carol and Pintér, László and Smith, Risa and Venema, Henry}, title = {{Field Testing the Draft Canadian Biodiversity Index: A REPORT ON APPLYING REAL ECOSYSTEM DATA TO THE CBI}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2006}, month = jul, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/measure_cbi.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }