Without uniform standards for measurement and evaluation (metrics), and agreement on what to measure (indicators), it is hard to judge how things are progressing, particularly at the landscape scale. Metrics and indicators become particularly important when assessing long-term (and frequently costly) projects such as land restoration aimed at improving ecosystems and biodiversity. And they are crucial for looking at progress towards the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and similar global environmental goals.

A session of Tree Diversity Day 2014, organized by the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) at the 12th meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP12), was dedicated to this very topic. The session’s three speakers described and discussed recently developed tools and best practices for taking the pulse on biodiversity and environmental health.Read more. . .