Towards a Rapid and Repeatable Assessment Indicator System for Wetland Ecosystems: Example from the Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve, China

Six wetland sites in the Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China, were sampled by two observers with different levels of experience following a two-day training workshop for a suite of scientifically defensible, rapid and repeatable indicator system that can serve as a blueprint to be used routinely in the area. A probabilistic random-stratified sampling design was used to select sites to be sampled. Field protocols consisted of different sections including scoring boundary forms, and quantitative ratings. Metric scores were assigned using the ratings for the current state of the wetland, without regard for what the wetland might have been in the past, or what it might become in the future. The variance in observer to observer scoring at each site was used to calculate pooled standard deviations, coefficients of variation, and signalto- noise ratios for each survey. The results showed that the relationship between pairs of observer scores had little observer bias (rho = 0.845, p < 0.01) for all the sites in the surveyed. Training could have had a significant contribution to observer to observer repeatability. We are confident that, as developed, these indicators could be successfully applied for monitoring and assessing wetlands, recognizing that further field testing and verifications are still needed.